Glamorous
by BrittFan
Summary: The Montez Trio is the hit pop star and movie star sensations. So what happened when they want a normal life and leave to a normal suburban city in NM? Love, friendship, a normal life, and Glamor. R&R! Full Summary inside. Language and sexual situations.
1. Things Would Be Alright

Glamorous—

**Explanation on why I haven't been uploading is at the bottom.**

**I own no one except for additional characters.**

**Enjoy!**

**Summary**: Gabriella Montez and her younger sisters Selena and Reva are the hip teen pop star and movie star sensations. Living life in glamor, money, attention, and fame seems like it would be well, glamorous, but when you had all of that glamor since you were five-years-old, it gets a little hectic and annoying and stressful. Sometimes, these three sensations wish they could be normal girls for once instead of big celebrities at young ages. Not the Montez Trio, the amazing teen actresses and singers. So, what happens when they experience life in a normal suburban city in New Mexico? Love, friendship, and a normal life.

**Characters:**

Gabriella Montez: **Vanessa Hudgens**

Selena Montez: **Selena Gomez**

Reva Montez: **Jasmine Villegas **

Rayline Montez: **Katherine McPhee**

Rosalina Williams: **Julianne Hough**

Troy Bolton: **Zac Efron**

Maxine Klein-Williams: **Nina Dobrev**

Sammy Klein-Williams: **Davis Cleveland**

Leilani Bolton: **Taylor Swift**

Reyna Petro: **Brittany Snow**

Acelyn Landgrab: **Bridget Mendler**

Charlene Dobson: **Keke Palmer**

Emil Bolton: **Logan Lerman**

Chad Danforth: **Corbin Bleu**

Julia Klein-Williams: **Jennifer Aniston**

Steve Klein-Williams: **Tom Cruise**

And original HSM cast.

**I DON'T OWN THE TWINS! I GIVE ALL CREDIT TO P.C. AND KRISTIN CAST ON THE HON SERIES!**

Chapter 1:

Things Would be Alright

Gabriella Montez and her sisters were never nervous. It was just a fact that embedded themselves on their bodies. But, as they stood backstage of the wonderful Madison Square Garden, nerves were raking their bodies full-on.

"Oh, jeez, I think I'll throw up," Reva, the smallest and youngest of the Montez Trio, complained. "There's like, what, a thousand people out there?"

"Or maybe one hundred thousand," Selena muttered. "Plus the millions of people that will be watching on TV."

"Selena, shut up," Gabriella ordered. "You're scaring her." She looked around herself and sighed. "And me."

"Okay, girls, are you ready?" Rayline Montez, the Montez Trio's manager and mother, questioned as she walked cheerfully up to the girls. They all threw her worried, nervous, and petrified looks. Rayline frowned. "Oh, girls, you're scared, aren't you?" She pulled them all in for a big hug and sighed. "Well, think on the bright side," she said as she pulled out of the hug and looked at them. "You guys sold out Madison Square Garden! That's tough _and_ amazing."

"Yeah, well you try and stand on a huge stage and sing in front of millions of people," Gabriella muttered, crossing her arms.

Rayline sighed. "I already did, honey, and it was amazing. It made me feel so powerful. Sure, I was worried and scared mindless at first, but as soon as I stepped out onto that stage and everyone cheered me on and I blasted into a song, all of it was gone. It felt wonderful."

"But what if we forget the lyrics?" Reva asked, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Because right now, I don't even think I know my own name."

"That's just the nerves talking, Rev," Rayline said. "You should be proud, sweetie. You're only fourteen and you're already singing in Madison Square Garden." She turned to Selena next. "And Sel, you're only sixteen; that's young, too. Won't it be wonderful to be on that stage knowing how powerful and amazing you are?" Lastly, she turned to Gabriella. "Gabi…the leader of the group…my oldest daughter. You're going to be leading them tonight. Isn't that awesome? Guys, this is a chance of a life time? I mean, I didn't even get Madison Square Garden sold out and that tells me just how amazing you guys are."

Gabriella smiled. "Thanks, mami. We really needed that."

Selena nodded along with Reva. "Yeah, thanks, mami. I guess we're ready now."

Rayline grinned and hugged her trio once more. "You'll do great. I just know it. Te amo, my sweet daughters." she whispered.

All together they said, "We love you, too, mom."

"Ready in twenty seconds," the stage director instructed and the girls nodded. They gave their mom one last hug before each running off to their elevators to enter the stage.

"One," Gabriella whispered, clenching the necklace her father gave her.

"Two," Selena whispered on the other side of the stage.

"Three," Reva whispered lastly and she was lifted, along with her sisters, up onto the stage. Cheers erupted in the crowd as the stage shook.

The nerves washed off of the girls as they grinned.

They felt powerful and wanted. This was definitely not so bad.

**One week later…**

"Hurry, Reva," Gabriella demanded, pushing her sister through the car with one hand while the other tried to block the heavy flashes and questions from the paparazzi. She plopped down into the limo and rested her head against the soft, expensive leather seats. "Sel, you okay?"

"I think I'm bleeding," she complained, pulling at her lip. "My lip is busted. The camera has claws."

"I hate the paps," Reva exclaimed, throwing her head back like Gabriella did. "They get on my damn nerves."

"You and me both, sis" Gabriella said, looking over her to see Selena's lip. "It's just a little bump and blood. It'll clear tomorrow, hopefully. We seriously don't need any rumors."

"I am going to coop myself up in my room for the rest of my career," Reva announced. "Because if I see another camera, I might scream."

"You can't," Selena said. "Remember, we have an interview tomorrow."

"Oh shit, I forgot."

"You forget everything," Gabriella said. "Almost home…thank the Lord."

"Hey, when is mom coming back from Philadelphia?" Selena asked, reaching for a tissue.

"Tomorrow, right after our interview," Gabriella answered.

"What will I wear for the interview tomorrow?" Reva questioned.

"Rev, you have, like, a thousand dresses in your closet," Selena said, rolling her eyes. "What _won't_ you wear is the question."

"Actually, I only have three hundred fifty-seven dresses, thank you very much."

"You counted each one?"

"Of course not. I made this obsessed fan count the receipts. He took it willingly. He even asked if he can have one of my receipts."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Don't use your fans like that, Rev."

"I'm not," she protested. The limo entered through the gate of the Montez Mansion and down the long driveway. Gabriella sighed as she peered out the tinted window. The house was so big. Like twenty acres. What would it be like to live in a normal suburban house in the city? Surely better than having cameras everywhere and worrying about if someone tries to come and kill them or break in. She spotted a security camera in a bush and sighed. So much better.

The chauffeur, Henry, opened the limo door for the girls and gave them each a polite and professional smile. "How was the ride, ladies? Not too jumpy, right?"

"It was great, Hen, thanks," Gabriella said, stepping out of the limo with her sisters who agreed.

"That's good to hear. Have a nice night, ladies."

"Thanks, Henry," they said to him and waved as he moved out of the driveway and out of sight. The trio quickly entered the house. Gabriella smiled when she saw their home school teacher, Rosaline, sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Hey, Rosie."

She looked up and grinned at them. "Well, if isn't the girls who sold out Madison Square Garden. Oh, I wish I could've seen you all in person, but I had to go to Albuquerque and visit my sister and her kids."

"It's fine, Rosie," Gabriella assured her, putting her bags down. "You've been to all the other ones, one can be let go."

Rosie grinned and got of the couch. "So, how was the movie?"

"Great, but after, it was horrible. I hate the paparazzi."

"I know," Selena exclaimed. "One of those damn cameras hit me in my lip. I should file a lawsuit."

"Selena, shut up," Reva said, pushing her sister. "Look, we'll be upstairs fixing Selena's problem. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah." Gabriella nodded and the girls left to go up stairs. Rosie and Gabriella plopped themselves down on the couch. "I am dreading the interview tomorrow."

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun," Rosie assured her.

"They'll ask me these questions I don't want to answer. Most of the stuff they ask is personal. Like, if I love someone or something like that."

"That was when you were going out with Justin Bieber that short two months," Rosie said. Gabriella sighed and her head snapped towards the door when it opened. She looked to Rosie for a short second before standing and walking slowly to the door. Rosie was right behind her.

"If those stupid paparazzi people keep asking me questions, I swear…"

Gabriella grinned and threw her arms around the person. "Mama! You're home early."

Rayline grinned and wrapped her arms around Gabriella. "Oh, sweetie, I missed you these past three days. You were watching the girls alright?"

"Yeah, they behaved. Sel got a busted lip though when a pap hit her accidentally with a camera."

"Oh, where is she? I want to kiss it better."

"Right here, ma!" Reva and Selena came barreling down the steps and into their mothers arms. Selena pulled back and pulled out her lips with her index finger and thumb. "Don' you 'hink I 'hould 'eport a lawhoot?"

Rayline laughed and kissed Selena's head. "Honey, go put some ice on it, it'll swell down." Selena walked away towards the kitchen and Rayline turned to Reva. "Hey, Rev. How are you?"

"Well, on the bright side, I don't have a busted lip," she replied and Rayline grinned.

"Hey, mom, can I talk to you for a second?" Gabriella asked, looking towards the floor. "It's important." Rayline looked concerned. She and Gabriella walked into the dinning area. "Okay, what is it you need to tell me?"

Gabriella looked up at her and sighed. "You know how I've been a celebrity since I was five, same as Reva and Selena?" Rayline nodded and Gabriella bit her lip (it's a habit that she does when she's nervous). "Well, you see, I've been thinking how amazing being famous was and that I love it so much, but…mom, we're kids. We're still very young and none of us experienced life as a normal kid. No normal friends or school. Not a normal house or ride. Nothing normal. I'm not saying I hate being famous. Because I love to sing and act. It's just…" Gabriella trailed off, not knowing where to finish her thoughts.

"It's just so much to take in and that you'd love to have a break to be normal?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah…that. If I could, I would disguise myself like Miley Stewart did in Hannah Montana. That way, I could have the best of both worlds," Gabriella joked.

Rayline laughed, but it died down quickly. "Gabriella, I get it. I didn't get into fame as fast as you and your sisters did. And I know it must be hard to grow up around all of this. But, honey, you're a celebrity. Celebrities and regular lives don't mix. Like, if you go to school. I'm afraid you and your sister will get hurt, Gabs. It's not that I don't want you to be normal; I do. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Mom, I won't get hurt" Gabriella assured her. "I'll watch out."

Rayline sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, but I have two things to say," she said. Gabriella's eyes went wide and she nodded. "One, you have to look out for your sisters while you be 'normal'. And second, I will not be going with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Honey, remember, I'll be on tour. For months. Rosie will have to go with you. It'll be best if you go to Albuquerque. That's where she used to live."

"Albuquerque? You mean, like, New Mexico?"

"Yes."

Gabriella grinned and threw herself at her mom. She pulled her in a tight hug and sighed. "Thanks, mami. You're amazing."

Rayline grinned and hugged Gabriella back. "I know."

"When will we be leaving?"

"Well, in depends. It depends on what's planned. Like, you have an interview tomorrow and we have to find you all a place to live in."

"Rosie's house?"

"Well, first we have to talk to Rosie about it first…"

"I say yes!" Rosie exclaimed loudly, stumbling into the room. She fell and Reva and Selena toppled on top of her. Gabriella smiled and Rayline nodded. "Okay, well, I guess we have it settled."

"Yes!" Selena was the first to jump up. She threw the ice to the floor and did a happy dance. Reva was right behind her. "We're going to go to regular school and live in a regular house and won't have the damn paps following us everywhere."

"Uh, Rev, the paps will still follow us," Gabriella told her. "We still look the same, we're still famous, but we are going to try and be normal."

"Yes, girls. When you walk in the street people will recognize you," Rayline said. "And when you get to school…it'll be the same."

"I can't wait!" Selena exclaimed. Rayline smiled. "Well, Rosie and I need to talk about this little arrangement. Meanwhile, you all go to bed; you have an interview tomorrow."

The three girls groaned as they trudged up stairs to their rooms. But Reva followed Gabriella instead of going to her room.

"I know you're following me," Gabriella said, stopping and turning to her sister. "What's wrong? You haven't followed me to my room since you were nine because you thought there was a monster under your bed."

"Well, I obviously got over that," Reva said. "But…there is something wrong."

Gabriella grabbed Reva's arm gently and pulled her into her room. She closed the door and they both plopped down on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm kind of scared for this thing, you know? You and Sel got into this business when you were both five. I was five months. I don't know how to deal with being normal."

Gabriella scooted over and grabbed Reva in a tight embrace. "Dad would always tell me sometimes you'll be excited for something, but not truly ready," Gabriella said. "But, you're Reva Montez. You're always ready for anything."

"Try saying that to Madison Square Garden," she mumbled.

"You were scared, but you did it anyway, right? We all get scared, Rev."

Reva sighed and wrapped her arms around Gabriella. "Tell me about dad."

"Well, dad, he was an amazing hero. He was so brave and he encouraged me and Sel to keep dreaming and reaching for the stars," Gabriella said, smiling. "When I performed in front of crowds, dad was always there, cheering me on right next to mom and Sel. When I was scared to get on a stage, dad told me to never give up. Mom does that now, but how he did it…he cradled me close to him, gave me a kiss on the cheek then did one of his famous Alejandro Houdini tricks. He rolled his palms together and there was a pretty white lotus flower waiting in his hands. Lotus flowers became my favorite flower. They still are; they help me remember him."

Reva sighed. "I love that he wanted to be a firefighter and hero, but I wish he didn't die because of it. I wish I got to see him at least one more time."

Gabriella pulled her littlest sister close to her and closed her eyes. "Dream big, catch a star. Being strong will get you far," Gabriella recited.

"I feel so much better," Reva announced. "Thanks, Gabi. You're the best sister. Don't tell Selena, though."

Gabriella giggled and sat up straight. She gave Reva's shoulder a squeeze and said softly, "You going to be okay?"

Reva nodded and slipped off the bed. "Yeah. Thanks, Gabi. I love you." The two sisters wrapped their arms around each other before Reva left and closed the door behind her. Gabriella sighed and sat down heavily onto her bed. Her hand reached up to grip her lotus shaped necklace. "I love you, daddy," she whispered before lying down and curling into a ball. Things would get better, she thought to herself. Things would be alright.

* * *

><p>I haven't been here in a long, long LONG time. That's because my computer has a virus and the internet isn't coming up. So while I wait for my internet, I will be writing a story called Glamorous. I started this like four weeks ago and I already have thirteen chapters. I'll give you those chapters now and you guys tell me what you think.<p> 


	2. The Montez Girls Like to Stick Things Ou

Chapter 2:

The Montez Girls likes to Stick Things Out

For upcoming chapters: I own **NO SONGS!**

**One week later…**

"I can't believe this," Selena said, hauling her suitcases out of the house. Henry was quick to grab those. "Henry, stop being so nice. We can carry our own stuff into the car."

"Actually," Reva said, coming out of the house with two suitcases, four carry-on-bags and her dog Loco's dog carrier. "I do need someone to be nice. I have way more stuff than this."

"Rev, mom is sending the rest of our stuff in a few weeks. You don't need all of that stuff."

Reva rolled her eyes and handed her stuff to Henry. "I object, sister," she said and Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I do need all of this _stuff_, as you call it."

Selena huffed as she finished throwing her five bags into the trunk. "How many bags do you have anyway, sis?"

Reva looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "Maybe ten…eleven…sixteen even."

Gabriella sighed. "All those bags won't even fit in there," she said, stating the obvious. "That's why mom will be flying our stuff over to us when we run out of stuff."

"There you go again with the _stuff_," Reva said. "These." She gestured to her hands still full of stuff. "are expensive name brand clothes that are much too valuable to be flown on a plane by themselves and be called…_stuff_." She pulled a face.

"You are a drama queen," Selena said.

"Girls, I'm going to miss you so much," Rayline gushed, rushing out of the house. "Remember, after six months, I'll let you all come home, okay?"

"Okay, mom."

Rayline wiped her eyes. "You are all so grown up. I wish your father could be here with us."

"Mom…" Gabriella stepped forward and enveloped her mother in a hug. Alejandro Montez had died in 9/11. He was a firefighter and was searching for survivors in the World Trade Center, but died when it collapsed. Gabriella was only seven then and Selena was six and Reva was four. After that they all packed their stuff and moved to California to start their careers properly.

Selena and Reva stepped into the hug as well. When they pulled away, Rayline was crying. "I don't know when you three got so old," she gushed, looking over all of them. "It's incredible."

Gabriella smiled and looked passed Rayline to see Rosie coming. She was just hanging up her phone. She looked a little worried.

"Rosie, you okay?" Reva asked. "You look worried."

"Oh, it's nothing…just an important call from my sister."

"Miss Reva, I do say this with all respect, but you…have…way…too many…bags!" Henry said as he tried with all his might to push the bags into the trunk. Everyone laughed and Reva went over to bring out some of the stuff. "I guess I'll take, you know, most of them out."

Henry wiped his brow with his white handkerchief. "Yes, that would be the best."

"I'll take them for you, honey," Rayline said. "Now, before you all go, I have a few words to say." She turned to Rosie and grinned. "You are wonderful with my babies. You've been tutoring them since Gabriella was ten and I appreciate that you're willing enough to take care of them for a while."

Rosie shook her head and smiled. "I love these girls, Rayline. I would be stupid not to."

Rayline nodded and turned to Gabriella. "Gabriella, I want you to look after your sisters during school hours, you hear me? Especially Reva since she'll be a freshman instead of a junior."

Gabriella nodded. "I will, mami."

"Great. And Sel, you watch out for Reva, as well. You're almost seventeen, too. And I'll try and make it for your birthday, okay? If I don't, I'll send out presents and see you on Skype, okay?"

Selena nodded and grinned. "Yes, mom. Thanks."

Rayline turned to Reva and sighed. "I am so reluctant to send you more than a thousand miles away from me, Rev, but you are grown-up now, I supposed."

"I am, mami," Reva said eagerly, nodding her head.

"Okay, I am trusting you to be true to your word."

"I will, mami."

Rayline smiled sadly. "Well, I guess I have to give you guys up now, huh?" She sighed. "If you guys ever want to leave, call me and I'll get right on it to send you on tour with me, okay?"

"We'll be fine, Mami, really," Gabriella said.

Rayline sniffled. "_Te amo, chicas_," she said and engulfed all three in them in another hug. The Montez Trio hugged their mother back for a moment or so before they all pulled away. "I'll be in New Mexico in about four months or so. So, I'll see you guys then."

"We'll buy tickets closet to the stage," Gabriella promised. "Love you, mom."

"Yeah, we love you," Reva and Selena said together then gave each other looks of amusement. Rayline grinned. "Okay, I won't hold you back anymore. Bye, girls. Have fun. And call me every single day."

"You got it, mom," Selena said, climbing into the car. Reva agreed and slipped in as well. Gabriella gave her mother one last hug. "Here, I have to give you something, bebe." Rayline told her softly and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a gold locket shaped as a heart. She popped it open and Gabriella gasped. In it was a picture of her dad, her, her mom, Selena and Reva when they were younger and a little saying that read: **DREAM AND REACH**. Gabriella took it and cradled it carefully in her hands. She didn't know she was crying until she saw the wet blotches of her tears on the gold and glass. She looked up at Rayline before throwing her arms around her and pulling her in a tight embrace. "Thank you, mami. I love it."

"I found it while rummaging through some old stuff. I guess I never saw that when I put your dad's stuff in that capsule."

Gabriella pulled back from the hug and slipped the locket in her pocket. She looked back up at her mom and grinned. "I love you, mom. Always."

Then she turned and entered the awaiting limo. Rayline sighed and waved as the limo pulled off. "Love you, too, my babies."

"What did mom give you?" Reva asked.

"A locket of a picture of the whole family. Including dad."

"Can I see?"

Gabriella pulled out the locket and handed it to them. Reva and Selena peered down at it, smiling softly. "He looks more like you, Ella," Selena said, tracing over heir dad's photo with her finger. "And a bit like Reva. You have his nose."

"Well, Gabriella has his hair and his eyes."

"I came from mom," Selena said. "I am a younger version of her."

"Well, let me see," Rosie said, looking at the picture. "Hm, he does look like you, Gabi. And a lot like Reva, too. Rev, you have his dimples and nose. Gabriella, you have his hair, eyes, face structure, mouth, and birthmark under your chin. Sel, well, I think you have his hair, too. Pure black."

"Dad is a lot like all of us," Gabriella said.

"You know, I knew your dad quite well in high school and college," Henry spoke and they all looked at him. "He was quite a friend. Friendly and always thinking of others. That's how I got my job."

"You knew dad?" Reva questioned, stunned.

"Yeah…we were firefighters together, but I quit when I heard that he…" Henry didn't finish.

Gabriella sighed and leaned back in her seat. She looked in the back window of the limo and groaned. "The stupid paps are following us."

"They'll know we're in New Mexico?" Selena asked.

Gabriella shook her head.. "We're taking a private jet. All they know is that we're going somewhere."

The rest of the ride consisted of snacks being passed along and talking. About twenty minutes later, they were at LAX airport.

The paparazzi bombarded them with questions. "Where are you going?" "Reva, look here, precious!" "Gabriella, give me that smile!" "Selena, how are you feeling about your break-up with Cody?" "Girls, this way!" "Where are you going?" "Is it true you're going to move back to New York?" "Who's your friend?" "Hi, girls."

"Hey," they said, still pushing through.

The trio walked quickly. Gabriella grabbed onto Reva and Selena, careful not to loose them. It happened before…

"Ow," Rea whined, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Oh my God, I'm blind."

"Keep your head down," Gabriella ordered. "Excuse us," she said politely.

"Gabriella, where'd you get that necklace from?" a pap asked, flashing the camera at the necklace. Gabriella face doubled over in anger. She flashed him the middle finger before hurrying along into the airport. Usually, she was nice about the paps, but when they asked her about the necklace when they knew damn sure who it's from…she'd loose her temper.

"I love you air port," Reva breathed. She turned to the paps and stuck her tongue out at them because they weren't allowed to enter the air port. "Rev," Gabriella said fiercely and pulled her along. "Stop being childish."

"If you get to flip them off, I get to stick my tongue out at them."

"You flipped them off?" Selena wondered.

"I hate when they ask about the necklace. They already know," Gabriella seethed.

"Okay, girls, you ready to fly off to New Mexico?" Rosie asked. They all nodded and Rosie smiled. "Good, because I have something to tell you when we get there."

They were escorted to the back of the airport to get into the jet. When Reva saw it, she exploded. "This is awesome! I never rode in a private jet before!"

"I did when I was eleven," Gabriella bragged, flipping her hair over her shoulder and grinning.

"Lucky," Selena said and climbed into the jet. It was a spacious twenty passenger jet with fridges full of expensive champagne. Lights danced all across the wall and TV's were set out, too. The four girls plopped down into the seats.

"This is ah-mazing," Selena sung, taking out two bottles of champagne. Both Gabriella and Rosie snagged one. "You aren't old enough for this," Gabriella said, stuffing the bottle into the fridge.

Rosie nodded and placed the bottle next to her. "Yup, but I am."

"Oh, no fair," Selena mumbled, crossing her arms. "I want some. Just a sip? Please?"

"No, I can go to jail for giving you alcohol," Rosie said, crossing her legs. "How about we watch Jersey Shore."

"Yes!" Reva said, peering at the flat screen.

"Oh, yippee, we're watching the Smurfs: Orange Edition," Gabriella muttered, crossing her legs and leaning back in the seat.

Reva threw a plush pillow at her. "Shut it, I am trying to watch The Situation and his hot situation right in his torso." Reva fluttered her eyes at his abs. "Dreamy…so dreamy."

"Stupid… so stupid." Gabriella took out her iPod touch and scrolled through the songs. She landed on _Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart_ by Alicia Keys and snuggled into her chair. Her eyes closed as the song drifted around her head.

"Gabriella…Gabriella…wake up."

Gabriella eyes opened groggily as she sat up straight. Reva and Selena weren't in their seats and Rosie was shaking her. "Huh?"

"Wanna go to the bed in the back? That's where Rev and Sel are."

"Mhmm." Gabriella covered her mouth when she yawned. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine. You slept for three hours. We'll be there in at least one hour."

Gabriella nodded and stretched. She didn't feel stiff or sore. Jeez, these seats are comfortable.

Gabriella stood and walked slowly to the back. Reva and Selena were snuggled in a big bed. Gabriella sighed and put herself at the end of it. Then she drifted off to sleep again.

"Wakey wakey, we wish we had eggs and bakey!"

Gabriella opened her eyes. Reva and Selena were standing over her. "What the hell are you guys saying?"

"You know how people say, 'wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey'? Well, we have no eggs and bakey, so we say 'we wish we had eggs and bakey'," Selena explained, pulling Gabriella up. "Now, wakey, wakey. We'll be there soon. We're about to land."

"Oh, and we saw you on the internet," Reva said, scrolling down on her lap top. "You stuck the middle finger up and I stuck my tongue out. The title reads: _Montez Girls Likes to Stick Things Out_. Which I don't get when you stuck the middle finger _up_, not out."

Gabriella ran her hands down her face. "Mom's gonna be pissed. She always says to be nice to the paps."

"C'mon, girls, get ready," Rosie said. "Rev, Sel, clean up this bed."

"Do we have to?" they whined. Rosie gave them looks then they went right on it. Gabriella slipped her flats back on before looking out the window. They weren't that high up. You could see the pretty lights of the buildings and other places. It was completely dark so that made it even better.

"You guys will need jackets. It's thirty-three degrees out," Rosie said, rummaging through her carry-on. She pulled out Reva's hoodie, Selena's jacket and Gabriella's hoodie.

"Why do I get a jacket?"

"Because you gave it to me. Plus, your mom says you've been down in the weather a bit and you need to bundle up. Albuquerque is cold at night."

"Why? It's the desert."

"It's not that warm out."

"Please, everyone sit, we're about to land. Make sure your seat belts are fastened, please," the pilot directed. The four fell into seats and strapped their seat belts.

"I'm glad my ears didn't pop," Reva announced, squirming in her seat. "Yay, we're almost there! How long is the ride to your house, Rosie?"

"About ten minutes."

Gabriella popped a mint into her mouth and stuffed her iPod back into her purse. They landed and it was finally time to get off. "What's the time difference?" Selena asked, shrugging her jacket on and hoping out the jet.

"One hour faster," Gabriella answered. "It would usually be eight thirty-nine in Los Angeles."

"Now it is nine thirty-nine. Set your clocks, girls," Rosie said.

Henry pulled the bags out of the jet with the girls' help.

"See, aren't you glad you didn't bring a lot of stuff, Reva?" Selena questioned, sitting on her suitcase.

Reva nodded and put her headphones around her neck and her iPod in her hoodie pocket. An Escalade pulled up in front of them. A man stepped out of it and handed the keys to Henry. "Thank you, Philip. Have a safe trip back."

"Thanks, Henry. Good night, girls."

"Good night," The girls said together. The man named Phillip climbed onto the jet and they all started pilling the suitcases into the trunk of the Escalade. When they were done, they all collapsed into the seats and Henry drove off. "It feels weird without a limo," Reva announced.

"Well, girls, you are officially normal," Rosie said. "So you have a normal car just like any other person here."

"What school are we going to?" Gabriella asked.

"East High. Home of the Wildcats. My niece, Maxine, goes there. She's seventeen, too, Gabriella. Maybe you and she can talk."

"Maybe," Gabriella said and looked out the window. No one right now knew that the Montez Trio was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Of course they would find out tomorrow when they got to the school for orientation, but that's tomorrow.

"How will people at school react?"

"Some will be mean and angry that you're there, others will be kind and happy," Rosie said.

"Why would they be mean?" Reva asked.

"Not everyone likes us, Rev," Gabriella said. "People have opinions. And just ignore the ignorant people."

"Okay, that'll be easy."

The rest of the ride was quiet. Mostly because everyone was tired and just wanted to get settled into the house.

"Here we are," Rosie announced. Henry pulled up into the small driveway and parked the car. The girls tiredly trudged out of the car and helped with the bags. The cold air pushed on them. They weren't accustomed to the coldness. It's usually hot at night in LA.

"Okay, Gabriella, your room is at the end of the hall, the right side. Selena, your room is right across from Gabriella's and Rev, your room is right next to Gabriella's, okay?"

"This place is really cool, Rosie," Selena commented, looking around the room. Different fabrics of cloth stained with different colors were hanging from the ceiling, diming the lights. The walls were plastered with many decorations. The most common were butterflies and sketches. Gabriella observed a picture of a lotus flower in someone's cupped hands. It looked magical, glowing a pretty purple and white color. "Who made this?"

"Me," Rosie said. "I actually made all of them."

"Seriously?" Selena said. "Damn, these pictures are off the hook."

"They _are_ great," Gabriella said. "_Really_ great."

"Your house is so awesome," Reva said, picking up a sculpture shaped weird, but cool. It was like a squiggly line with holes seeping through it. Reva put it down. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. I think my hands hurt from carrying so much stuff. Thanks, Rosie."

"Your welcome, sweetie."

"Yeah, thanks," Gabriella and Selena said together before hauling their suitcases up the steps. Rosie sighed and plopped onto the couch. She rubbed her temple and yawned. "Henry, your room will be down here," she said. "Just around the corner."

"Thank you, m'lady," he said before walking to his room.

Rosie picked up her phone when it started to ring. She pressed it to her ear. "Talk to me."

_"Rose! How's my favorite sister?" _

"Julie…I'm your only sister."

_"Oh, well, anyway, I was calling to see if the big celebs are there yet." _

"Well, it's either that or some kids dressed up as them."

_"Ooh, that's so exciting! Maxine and Sammy are so excited to see them. How are their reactions?" _

"I didn't tell them yet," Rosie admitted. "First, I'm tired, and second, so are they. I'll tell them after the orientation."

_"Okay, well, I'll see you in a few days, sis. Love you." _

"Love you, too. Say hi to the kids for me and that I love them." Rosie closed her phone before getting up and walking to her room.

* * *

><p>Review please!<p> 


	3. Don't Drop the F Bomb

Chapter 3:

Don't Drop the F Bomb

**I own NO SONGS! As I said before so don't think I do.**

"Hi, mami," the trio said together. Rayline laughed. _"Are you guys tired?" _

"Very," Gabriella said, yawning. "We miss you already."

_"I miss you guys, too." _

"We'll talk to you tomorrow after the orientation, okay?"

_"Okay, I'll be waiting. Well, I don't want to keep you guys up. Te amo, babies." _

"Love you, too, mami," they all said before hanging up. Reva threw herself back on Gabriella's bed. "I like your pj's, Gabs."

Gabriella looked down at her purple tank top and purple Looney Toons pajama pants. She looked back up at Reva. "I had these since I was fourteen."

"You had killer curves like that when you were fourteen?"

Gabriella blushed. "I so do not have killer curves."

"Yes you do," Selena said. "I barely have curves and I'm sixteen. And you have boobs."

"Well, so does Reva. She's very top heavy. Don't you wear a 38 C, Rev?"

"Yes," she mumbled. "That's why I don't wear V-necks."

"I'm the petite girl," Selena said. "I wear a 32 A and I have no curves."

"I wear a 32 C," Gabriella said. "I'm ashamed my fourteen-year-old sister has bigger boobs than me."

"I'm ashamed, too and Reva gets that stuff from mom," Selena said, waving it off. Gabriella quirked an eyebrow. "So, where do we get our boobs and curves from? Dad?" They all started laughing. Rosie entered. "Girls, you guys should be getting to sleep. You have to wake up at six."

"Okay, Rosie." Gabriella got up and pulled the girls off her bed. They both landed with thumps on the floor.

"Ouch!" Reva hissed, standing up. "If you want to kill us, make it less painful, please."

"Get out," Gabriella said, rolling her eyes. Rosie laughed as the girls faked limped out of the room. "Night, Gabs. Night, girls."

"Night!"

Gabriella quickly placed her locket into her night stand and whispered, "Night, daddy."

G*L*A*M*O*R*O*U*S

"Rise and shine, girls," Rosie sang. She rung her cow bell. Reva rolled out if bed, but when she hit the floor, she stayed sleep. Selena screamed when Rosie rung it in her ears. Gabriella nearly fell out of the bed like Reva.

"Is Reva dead?" Selena asked, poking her with a ruler. Gabriella took the ruler away and grabbed Reva's feet. She started tickling her foot and Reva burst into uncontrollable giggles. "Yup, she's not sleep or dead. Wake up, Rev, before I tickle your stomach."

Reva quickly bounced up. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Jeez."

"I made some breakfast," Rosie said as they all walked down the steps. As soon as Selena heard that and smelt bacon, she dashed down the steps and towards the kitchen. "Bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon!"

"Is that why you named your teddy Mr. Bacon?" Reva asked, sliding into a stool. She picked up a piece of bacon and started gnawing on it.

Rosie grabbed a piece of bacon from Selena and popped it into her mouth. "Hey! That was my bacon."

"And so are the other twenty pieces in your hand," she said. "You left only three on the plate."

"Well, there are three other people and Henry already left to wherever." Selena popped two pieces of bacon into her mouth at a time. "Yummy."

Gabriella grabbed three pieces of bacon from Selena. "Thanks, Sel."

Reva also snagged a few. "Yup, thanks."

"You people owe me bacon."

"Mhmm, sure we do."

"Okay, hurry and eat," Rosie said, putting some eggs, sausages, and toast on three plates. She handed the plates to them and after ten minutes, they all went to get dressed.

"What should I wear?" Selena asked, throwing herself onto Gabriella's bed. Gabriella shrugged and pulled out a cute mini white jean skirt and sleeveless orange blouse. "I'm wearing this." She also pulled out her orange ballet flats and white with orange stripes cardigan. "You can look through my closet and see what you want."

Selena and Gabriella were ready twenty minutes later, but Reva was still upstairs. Selena was in a cute off-the-shoulder graphic tee and black ripped skinny jeans and leather boots.

"Reva, get your fat ass down here!" Gabriella yelled up the steps. Reva came down the steps in a cute yellow summer dress with white flowers dancing across it. "I don't have a fat ass," she insisted.

"Yeah…well, it looks like you have a bowling ball under your dress."

"Shut up," Reva said, but turned her head to check behind her. Selena, Gabriella and Rosie laughed. "I was just kidding," Gabriella said, walking out of the house with Selena and Rosie. Reva ran after them. "Me, too!" she yelled.

When they arrived at the school, the three sisters looked up. The school was huge. A huge banner in front of the school read in big, bold, red letters: **'GO WILDCATS!' **The whole school was a brownish/tanish color with a huge clock on top of it. It was now eight twenty-three. The trio all gave each other glances. The school lot was flooded by students skateboarding, riding their bikes, or driving their car into the parking lot.

"I'm scared," Reva admitted, sinking low in her seat. Gabriella placed a hand on her knee and squeezed. "It'll be okay. Remember, you're always ready."

Reva nodded, but still gripped her stomach. Butterflies were swarming around in there. In fact, she felt like throwing up.

"You guys ready to face normal?" Rosie asked, parking. The girls nodded mutely and Rosie opened the door. Gabriella opened the door, too. Her heart was beating majorly fast, like it was ready to explode from her chest. She gripped Selena's hand and Reva's as they started walking forward towards the school. The talking and laughing around them stopped abruptly. Gabriella felt Selena's palm go sweaty.

"O…M…G," a girl with long blond hair whispered when they passed her.

"No way," someone else whispered.

"Damn…I'm dreaming."

The comments became bigger. Someone said loudly, "It's the Montez Trio!"

Rosie guided the girls into the building and straight to the office. The receptionist looked up and grinned. "Well, if it isn't the Montez Trio…welcome."

"Thanks," they said together and her smile grew bigger.

"Well, the meeting is in a classroom. Is that good?"

"Seems alright," Rosie said, nodding. "You ready girls?"

"Hell," Gabriella whispered.

"To the," Selena said.

"No," Reva finished.

"Well, this was your wish, so, tough luck."

"Lucky us," Selena said sarcastically and gripped Gabriella's arm again.

"Okay, girls, well let's go to Mr. Tanners room. That's where the meeting is being held." The receptionist, or Miss Debbie as her nametag reads, got up and lead them to a classroom down the hall. Kids were already in there, talking amongst themselves.

But all of the talking stopped when they noticed the Montez Trio. Reva adjusted the strap on her bag. "Take a seat anywhere," Miss Debbie said. The girls moved slowly across the room and they sat in the last row, far away from anyone else. The way they were staring, it was just majorly creepy.

"So not ready," Reva whispered and gripped Gabriella's and Selena's hands. Rosie sat down.

The meeting started a few minutes later after the last few people arrived. The principal came and sat down in the desk in the front of the room. "I'm happy to welcome all of you. I'm so excited that you'll be attending East High in a week or so. So, let's get started."

The orientation came and went fast and well, the Montez Trio went fast after it was done. They were careful not to run into anyone.

"That boy kept staring at me," Reva said, jumping into the car.

"Just wait till we actually attend school here," Gabriella said.

"Well, you have two weeks before that happens," Rosie assured them. "Two weeks to get accustomed to Albuquerque."

Gabriella sighed and leaned back in her seat. "For some reason, I actually can't wait."

**Later…around four PM…**

"Gabi, please, please, please," Selena begged, gripping onto her sisters legs.

"No."

"Please?"

"Go ask Reva."

"Reva can't cook."

"What's there to cook? It's only a sandwich. Why can't you make it yourself, anyway? You have two hands that are working fine."

"I know, but when I'm hungry, I get lazy. And guess what; I'm hungry. So I'm lazy."

"I still say no."

"Please! My stomach is gnawing at my insides! I might die!"

"Stop being over dramatic."

"Gabi!"

"Ugh, fine. Just let go of me. And you're taking a jog with Reva and me in an hour, okay?"

"But the people will see us and call the paps!" Gabriella shrugged and Selena sighed. "Fine, just make my sandwich."

"You guys are hilarious," Rosie said. "Anyway, make sure you're back by eight. I have something to tell you."

"Can't you tell us now?" Selena asked, letting go of Gabriella so she could go make the sandwich. She got up and dusted her pants off. "No," Rosie said. "You will know in fours hours. Until then, I am going grocery shopping." Rosie grabbed her keys and walked out of the house. Reva came downstairs with her guitar. "Girls, we should perform at the park. Give people some of our newest music."

"That's a good idea," Gabriella said, coming out of the kitchen with sandwich. "Here, doggie." Selena came over and grabbed the sandwich.

"Thanks, sis."

"What song will we sing?"

"Sparks Fly," Reva decided, bringing out the lyric book as well.

Gabriella grinned and nodded. "Yesh (yes)," Selena said, munching on her sandwich. "Goosh sojh (good song)."

**Later at the park. **

"How come I can't have champagne because I'm underage, but you can drive when you don't have a license yet," Selena whined.

"Because, this way we can get out in private and set up our stuff and surprise people," Gabriella said, turning into the street where the park was. "Here we go."

Gabriella and Selena carried the drums out while Reva carried hers and Gabriella's guitar and the amp. Usually they would just sing and play the guitar, but since they had no one to play the drums, Selena would play them and sing.

"Ready?" Gabriella asked, setting her guitar up. Reva and Selena nodded. Gabriella and Reva started strumming their guitars then after a second or two, Selena came in with her drums. The creating rhythm caught people's attention and they were shocked to see them. "The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm. And I'm a house of cards," Gabriella sung. "You're the kind of reckless that should send me running, but I kind of know that I won't get far."

Reva broke in then. "And you stood there in front of me just close enough to touch. Close enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking of." All three of them flew into the chorus, loving the cheers the crowd gave them. "Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain. Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain. 'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile. Get me with those blue eyes, baby as the lights goes down. Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around. 'Cause I see sparks fly, whenever you… smile."

"My mind forgets to remind me, you're a bad idea," Gabriella sung. "You touch me once and it's really something you find I'm even better than you imagined I would be."

"I'm on my guard for the rest of the world, but with you I know it's not good. And I could wait patiently but I really wish you would," Reva sung and they repeated the chorus again. The crowd erupted into more cheers. More people were gathering and some were coming out of their houses or looking from their doors or windows.

"Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain. Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain. 'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile. Get me with those blue eyes, baby as the lights goes down. Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around. 'Cause I see sparks fly, whenever you…smile."

"I'll run my fingers through your hair and watch the lights go wild," Selena sung the bridge. "Just keep on keeping your eyes on me just long enough to make it feel right. And lead me up the staircase, won't you whisper soft and slow. I'm captivated by you baby like a fireworks show."

"Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain," Gabriella tuned then Reva and Selena joined in. "'Cause I see sparks fly, whenever you smile. Get me with those blue eyes, baby as the lights goes down. Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around. 'Cause I see sparks fly, whenever you…smile. Sparks fly, oh, baby, smile. And the sparks fly." Gabriella and Reva ended their notes on the guitar before the crowded applauded and cheered.

Gabriella looked at her sisters and gave them thumbs up.

"Well, I go out for groceries and you three have a concert," Rosie said, walking up to them. "I was just about to check out when I heard this guy saying he got a text from a friend that you guys are playing."

"Well, at least he didn't lie," Gabriella said, shrugging. Reva bowed with Selena as the crowd still cheered. "Thank you, thank you very much!" they yelled together.

"Dude, that's the Montez Trio," Chad Danforth said to his best friend Troy Bolton. Troy rolled his eyes. "Dude, they were at our school today and you said the same thing."

Chad shrugged and took out his phone. "I got everything on camera. Why are they even in Albuquerque?"

"Maybe promoting a movie?"

"Or tying to live a normal life," Gabriella muttered behind him. She picked up her amp and headed for the truck. Troy looked at Chad wide-eyed. "Dude…she just commented on what I said. I think I'm gonna pass out."

He turned to see her shaking her head and giggling. Maybe he shouldn't have said that out loud. Troy strides over to her. "Want any help with the amp?"

"No thank you," Gabriella said and slid it onto the truck. "But thanks for…" She turned and gasped as she looked up into his eyes. They were so…blue. "…offering," she breathed.

Troy nodded then shrugged. " No problem. That was quite a show."

"Thanks. Look, I have to go now…and do…singing stuff…um, yeah…so, um, I'll just...go. Uh, bye." Gabriella quickly turned and ran for the truck. Troy turned back to Chad. "She seemed more nervous to see me."

"Rosie, we're jogging back to the house," Gabriella announced, dragging her sisters along. "Go ahead and take the truck." Rosie nodded and the three left the park after it cleared.

"I so saw that," Selena told Gabriella. "Who was Blue Eyes?"

Gabriella sighed. "Just another fan who gets excited if I talk to him. I love our fans, but I hate when they get all crazy."

Reva nodded and turned her head when she heard footfalls. "Speaking 'bout fans…"

Selena and Gabriella turned to see a middle-aged man walking behind them. Gabriella felt something drop in the pit of her stomach. That always happened when she thought something bad would happen. She grabbed Reva's and Selena's arms. "C'mon, I think we should start jogging now."

The three took of into a jog and Gabriella turned her head to see behind her. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw he was jogging, too. "How about we run now. Running is good."

Then he started running. "Gabriella…I think he's following us," Reva said, panicked. Gabriella nodded. "Pick up the pace! C'mon!" Gabriella reached into her pocket for her phone but found nothing. "Shit, I forgot my damn phone in the car! Dammit!"

"Where the hell is my phone?" Selena said, patting her pockets. Reva reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Who to call?"

Gabriella pulled them into an alley.

But regretted it the next second when the man appeared after them. "Oh my God, it's the Montez Trio!" He looked crazy and obsessed. Gabriella moved her sisters behind her and watched him with stealth eyes. "Do you want an autograph?" she asked him. "We can give you one."

"No, no. I just want to feel your hair and skin."

Gabriella moved her sisters back even more. The man took a step forward and reached a hand out to touch her. "Okay, get the hell away from us," she seethed.

He walked closer to them and Gabriella's skin started to crawl. He was directly in front of her. He reached out one hand to touch her hair and his other hand to touch Selena's hair and while he did, her breathing quickened. Then he let his fingers trail softly over their skin. Gabriella pulled her knee up and kneed him in his groin. The man doubled over in pain and stumbled back on the ground. Gabriella, Selena and Reva were running quickly.

"Damn, Gabi's a badass," Selena said, stopping at the house. She leaned over and rested her hands on her knees. Gabriella pulled her and Reva in the house and closed and locked the door after them. "Dammit, that was close."

"What was close?" Rosie came out of the kitchen wiping her hands with a dishtowel. "What's wrong?"

"Gabriella kneed a man in his dick when he tried touching her and her hair," Reva said. "You should've seen her! She was all badass like, 'Get the hell away from me' badass."

"What?" Rosie put the towel down. "Did he follow you?"

"Rosie, she kneed him really, really, _really _hard," Selena said. "I don't think he can walk."

"Okay, you three are getting pepper spray," Rosie decided. "I have to call your mother about this…"

"No! Please don't tell her," Gabriella begged. "We're fine, see? If you call, she'll take us away."

Rosie sighed and put her phone down. "Fine, but I want you to be careful, okay?"

"We're good," Gabriella reassured her, nodding. "How about you tell us your news?"

"Well, fine. You know how I was talking about my niece Maxine? Well, my sister Julia and her husband are going out of town for a few months and want me to watch them. Maxine and her younger brother Sammy who is six."

"When are they coming?"

"Tonight," Rosie said. "That's why I'm cooking."

"Well…are they fans?"

"Maxine is," Rosie said. "But I told her to stay calm around you girls and treat you like regular girls."

"That makes me feel better," Gabriella said, smiling.

"They should be here in about…one hour or so. Maxine will be sharing a room with you, Gabriella. Sammy will be with me."

"Why do I have to share a room? I mean, no offense or anything, but I don't want to," Gabriella said.

"You and Maxine are the same age. So, I just figured you'd sleep in the same room. Your bed has a pull out bed, too, so you don't have to share a bed."

Gabriella sighed and nodded. Selena plopped down on the couch and put a hand on her stomach. "Selena is _hungry_!"

"When aren't you hungry, Sel?"

"When I sleep," she answered easily. "And when I sing. Now, go make me a sandwich."

"I'll poison you," Gabriella said.

Selena gasped. "You wouldn't dare mess up a good sandwich."

"What's with you and sandwich's anyway?" Reva asked.

Selena shrugged. "I have no clue. I just got attached to them sometime over the years…now, Gabriella, go be a good girl and make me a sandwich."

"Go make your own fucking sandwich," Gabriella said, plopping down on the couch.

"Hey! None of that cursing," Rosie said, coming out of the kitchen. "I don't mind the other words but the f bomb is totally unacceptable. Especially around Sammy when he arrives."

Reva stood and started for the kitchen. "Whaddya cooking, Rosie?"

"Um…chicken alffredo with broccoli on the side and steak."

"OMG, I love steak! It's so…meaty and…steaky."

"Rosie, can I have a cookie?" Selena asked. "I really want one and you have a cookie jar."

"No, Sel, we have to call mami," Gabriella said, getting the phone from the kitchen wall. "We forgot to call her earlier."

Reva hopped into a stool. "Mama won't be happy about that." Gabriella put the phone on speaker and waited for an answer_. "Hello?"_ a male voice said.

"Hello, is Rayline Montez there?" Gabriella asked into the phone. Selena and Reva threw Gabriella confused looks.

_"Yeah…you're Gabriella, right?" _

"Uh-huh."

_"Okay…Rayline, your daughter is on the phone." _There was shuffling in the background before the girls heard their mother's voice. When she talked, she seemed out of breath. _"Hello, chicas,"_ she said breathlessly.

Gabriella's eyes went wide when she made a connection with the man and the breathless voice and…ew. "Hi, mama. Are we…interrupting something?" Reva and Selena giggled while Rosie rolled her eyes.

She cleared her throat. _"No, mija. Um, so what's up?" _

"His dick," Reva whispered and Selena and Gabriella started laughing.

_"Reva Carmen, I heard that,"_ Rayline hissed through the phone. Reva's eyes grew big and she shut her mouth. "Sorry, mama!" Even through the phone they were scared of her consequences.

_"And Gabriella Rayline and Selena Georgia, I hear you laughing. If you don't stop I swear to god…" _

"Sorry, mami," they said together. Gabriella and Selena clasped a hand over their mouths to stop from giggling.

_"Okay…let's start again…what's up? And Reva don't you dare make a smart ass comment." _

"Well, we sung at the park," Gabriella said.

"It was really awesome," Selena commented.

"Yeah," Reva agreed.

_"Ooh, Owen, hand me my laptop, will you?"_ A moment passed before Rayline squealed. _"Yay! Good job, girls. And Gabriella and Reva, what did I say about being mean to the paps?" _

"They get on our nerves," Gabriella said.

"I only did because Gabriella did," Reva said. Gabriella pinched her. "Ouch! Don't touch me. He she's aren't allowed to do that."

"He she?" Gabriella gasped. "Bitch."

"Whore."

"Slut."

"Ass."

"Bitch ass whore."

"Bitch ass slut," Reva countered, grinning.

"Motherfu—"

_"Stop the name calling,"_ Rayline roared and the girls shut up. _"Jeez, I can't even leave you for a second." _

"She started it!" Gabriella insisted.

_"And now I'm ending it." _Rayline sighed_. "Okay, how was orientation?" _

"It was good," Gabriella said. "Nice school… a little too preppy, but it's okay."

"Yeah!" Reva exclaimed. "I also saw this really cute freshman named Mason Woods."

_"Ooh, well tell me all about him when you get the chance to know him." _

"Gabriella was talking to this cute boy at the park," Selena announced. "And they practically flirted."

"We did not!"

_"Actually, Gabriella…I see you and a boy at the park there. New boyfriend?" _

"Definitely not! I don't even know him."

_"Mhmm, well, I have to go and…run, um errands now, girls. Talk to you later?" _

"Yes, mami. Oh, and be careful. Don't want to get pregnant with another Montez girl." Gabriella quickly slammed the phone on the receiver before they all started laughing, including Rosie.

"You girls need to leave her alone," Rosie commented before the phone rung again. The girls dashed out of the room afraid that it might be their mother. Rosie chuckled before answering the phone. "Hello?"

_"Hey, sis. I'm so excited for Vegas. Hangovers every day while partying every night." _

Rosie shook her head and laughed. "When are the kids coming?"

_"Well, we're about to leave. So, maybe thirty to forty minutes." _

"Okay, I'll tell the girls."

_"Oh, and sister, Sammy wants to bring his tarantula and Maxine wants to bring her puppy." _

"Animals?"

_"Yeah…" _

"But Reva will have her dog down here in a few weeks."

"Well look at you. Babysitter and animal sitter. Glad to have you around, sis. I'll—Sammy, stop pulling on your sister's hair! Look, I have to talk to you later, okay? Love ya!" The line went dead and Rosie sighed. She put the phone to the receiver before resuming cooking.

"Your hair is so perfect, Gabriella. I want hair like yours," Selena whined.

"Your hair is like mine, Sel. It's just shorter and straighter. But you can curl it," Gabriella said, brushing her hair.

"But yours is so rich and curly." Gabriella rolled her eyes and put her brush down. Reva came into the room jumping up and down like a little girl. "A new Vampire Diaries is on! You know, the season finale."

Gabriella laid down on her bed and peered at the TV screen that was now playing Vampire Diaries. "I think Elijah is major stupid to let Klaus get off like that. Hot or not, you can't trust him."

"Damon is the hottest one," Reva squealed. "I'm still mad mom made me get rid of his cardboard cut-out."

"Well, I would make you get rid of it too if you start talking to it, kissing it and then closing the door and making weird noises with it," Gabriella said. Reva threw a pillow at her.

"I'm mad Jenna is dead," Selena announced. "She was too pretty and innocent to die."

"I know! They should have gotten rid of…well, no one, I guess. Jules and John are gone…Caroline and Bonnie and Elena can't be off the show. That'll be serious bull."

"Okay, enough talking," Gabriella hissed. "I can't hear."

**Later…**

"Girls, can you come down here?" Rosie yelled from downstairs. Gabriella groaned tiredly and rolled off the bed. She fell on Reva who was sleeping. Reva's leg jerked up and she kicked Selena, who was hanging off the side of the bed, in the face. Selena yelped, Reva screamed, and Gabriella tried to get untangled form the covers.

"Get off of me," Reva wailed, pushing at Gabriella.

"I'm trying. I'm tangled."

"I think my lip is bleeding," Selena whined.

The door opened and Rosie stepped in. She quirked an eyebrow. "Okay…what happened?"

"You startled me so I rolled off the bed and onto Reva," Gabriella explained.

"Then my leg jerked up and hit Selena in the face," Reva said.

"And I think my lip is busted…again," Selena finished.

"That's an interesting story," Rosie said before helping them. "But, anyway, they're here and dinner is ready so wash your hands then come and eat."

"Okay," the girls said together before getting up and rushing to the bathroom. Rosie went down stairs and towards the door. She peered out the window to see them coming out of the van. She opened the door and greeted them. "Hey, family. How's it going?"

"Ugh, try riding in a car with these kids. It's tiresome and terrible," Julie said, rolling a suitcase out of the trunk.

"Riding in a car with _him_ is tiring," Maxine said, hopping out of the car and pointing to Sammy.

"But you guys were only in the car for about ten minutes or so," Rosie said, checking her watch. "What were the other thirty minutes for anyway?"

"Checking to make sure everything is done and packed," Steve said, hauling out two big suitcases.

"I said I could just bring one pair of underwear, but mommy and daddy said I can't," Sammy said, hoping out of the car. "My teeth fell out, auntie Rosie!"

"Really? Let me see." Sammy came running over to her and opened his mouth wide. A huge gap where his two front teeth were supposed to be was there. Rosie gasped. "How'd they fall out?"

"That's a story for dinner," Julie said. "Now, c'mon, I want to meet the celebs."

Gabriella, Selena and Reva came barreling down the steps just as Julie, Rosie, Maxine, Sammy and Steve came walking in. Maxine stared agape at them.

"Well, girls, this is my sister Julie and her husband and kids," Rosie said. "C'mon, people, don't be shy."

"Oh, I am _so_ not shy," Reva said, hopping down the steps and standing in front of the family. "Hello, Julie, Maxine, Sammy and Steve."

Julie chuckled. "Hi, Reva. It's so nice to meet you and your sisters."

A second later, Selena and Gabriella gave their greeting to the family as well before they all went to the dinning room. The table was all set. Sammy hopped into a seat next to Selena and stared at her with big eyes. Maxine and Reva sat on either side of Gabriella and Julie and Steve sat on either side of Rosie.

"This looks good," Julie said. She tasted the chicken alffredo and grinned. "It is good. So, let's talk."

"Yeah, let's talk," Rosie said. "Sammy, how'd you loose your teeth?"

Sammy turned his attention away from Selena and grinned. "Well, I was riding my scooter when Max was backing out of the driveway in her new car. She didn't see me, but I saw her and I rode into a pole and she rode into a pole 'cause she saw me ride into the pole. The car was damaged and my teeth were damaged. See!" Sammy opened his mouth wide then closed it. "There was a lot of blood."

"That's an interesting story," Rosie said, chuckling.

"I know. But anyway, how is your stay so far, girls?" Julie asked.

"It's great," Selena said. "We really like the school we're going to."

"East High is great," Maxine said.

"It's very preppy," Gabriella said, stuffing a piece of broccoli into her mouth.

Maxine grinned. "Basketball is a big thing for them. We have other sports, but basketball is like, the God of all sports for our school. Like, Texas High School Football big." Gabriella grinned at Maxine when she used the line Gabriella had used in her movie Bandslam. "The captain Troy Bolton is just amazing. We won the championships two years in a row because of him."

"He seems like a big deal," Selena commented.

Maxine nodded. "He so is. All the girls love him. There's not one girl I know who doesn't love him. And trust me, I know a lot of girls."

"So, he's basically a celebrity," Gabriella guessed, smiling slyly. Maxine threw her a grin and nodded. "You got it, pop star."

"We are not pop stars," Reva said. "We are the Montez sisters. For now, anyway."

"Tell that to the school," Maxine said. "They want you all to be in the upcoming events. The prom, the talent show, the fundraising fair for the orphans and probably at a school assembly."

"What if we don't want to sing?" Gabriella asked.

Maxine shrugged. Rosie set her fork down. "Well, if you don't want to sing, they can't make you."

"But we can't let our fans down," Reva said.

"I guess."

For the rest of dinner, they talked about different things. Julie and Steve were about to leave, but not before bringing the pets in. "Yoda!" Sammy exclaimed, reaching up to grab a shoebox after the adults moved outside to talk.

"Who's Yoda?" Selena asked, peering at the box.

"My pet. Wanna see?" Sammy took the lid off and Selena screamed. Sammy quickly shut the box. "That's funny. Maxine did the same thing when she saw him."

"I bet they won't scream when they see my little pet," Maxine said, pulling out a dog carrier. She unzipped the zipper and out tumbled a cute little beagle. The girls crowded near to see. "Aw, is it a he or she?" Reva asked.

"She. Her name is Moxie."

"She's so cute," Gabriella cooed, petting her.

"Who wants to pet Yoda?" Sammy said, jumping up and down. When the girls didn't respond or really acknowledge him, he frowned and looked down. Gabriella stood up straight and turned to see his sad face. "What's wrong. Sammy?"

"No one wants to pet Yoda," he grumbled, tilting the box. Gabriella sighed. "I…wanna see…Yoda," she lied. Sammy looked up and grinned. "Really? You can hold him, too!"

Gabriella was sulking inside. "Yay," she feigned happiness. Sammy opened the box and pulled out the tarantula. He held it out for Gabriella to hold. She was literally screaming inside her head when she took the tarantula from him. It was hairy and felt all wrong in her hands. And this didn't help when Selena and Reva screamed, making her drop it and scream herself. Sammy dropped to the floor and patted the ground for the bug. "Yoda! Yoda, come back! Help me find him," he cried, getting up and running all around.

Gabriella and Maxine went right away to find Yoda while Reva and Selena stood at the door, reluctant.

"Don't just stand there," Gabriella said, bringing her head up from checking under the couch. "You caused this so you help."

They were still reluctant, but helped anyway. "I found him," Sammy exclaimed. "He's under the counter, but I can't reach him."

"Get a broom or something," Reva said, coming into the kitchen with her sisters and Maxine.

"He'll crawl away from it," Sammy said. "And there's a hole back there. He'll crawl into it."

"Selena, you're arm is long and skinny enough to grab Yoda," Gabriella said.

Selena shrieked. "No way! I can't touch it!"

"Please," Sammy pleaded. "I need him."

Selena sighed before getting on the floor and reaching under the counter. She made a noise when her fingers brushed against its hairy body. It was a minute before she grabbed him and pulled him out. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew," she cried. She lifted it up and Reva's eyes went wide. She stumbled back and tripped on the trashcan. She fell in and the trashcan pushed against the bottom of the broom. The broom flipped forward and hit the fish tank, causing it to move off of the counter and crash onto the floor.

They all screamed and Selena dropped Yoda. Sammy tried to get up, but slipped instantly.

"Ew, Moxie, don't eat them," Maxine cried, running after Moxie who held a fish in her mouth. She wound up slipping and as she fell, her arms accidentally hit against a table knocking off a vase. The flower dropped out of it and the water splashed all over her. Maxine screamed when the cold water made contact with her skin.

"Oh, my God, this is a mess," Gabriella cried, slipping and falling on the floor. "Sammy, watch for glass."

Sammy climbed onto the table with the mop and swung it around over his head. "I'm Mop Sammy. I mop up messes."

"Sammy, get down," Maxine ordered.

"Help!" Reva exclaimed, trying to get out of the trashcan. Selena and Gabriella each grabbed one of her arms and pulled. The trash and her fell over. "Watch out for glass!"

"There's too much glass!"

"Oh my God I'm soaking wet!"

"Moxie, give me the damn fish!"

"I'm Mop Sammy! I'll mop it up!"

"Sammy, get down!"

"Stop yelling!"

"You're yelling, too!"

"Wait, where's Yoda?"

Selena looked around herself and shrugged. Maxine and Gabriella did the same. Gabriella's eyes landed on Reva's head and she screamed. "It's on your head, Reva!" Reva screamed and tried to get it off of her. Sammy jumped down off the table and reached for Yoda. "You'll kill him!"

"Good! That thing started this!"

Sammy sat down, crossed his arms and started hollering and crying.

"You made him cry!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"Would you all just calm down?" Maxine tried to stand. Reva gasped. "Watch out—"

Maxine slipped again and when she did, she bumped into the china cabinet. Everyone gasped. Maxine quickly grabbed Moxie and scattered out of the way. The china cabinet toppled over and there was a huge session of glass breaking.

Rosie, Julie and Steve then came rushing into the room. Rosie gasped. "What…happened?"

"It was Yoda's fault," Reva said.

"Reva was scared—"

"And I fell in the trashcan—"

"And the fish bowl fell — "

"And water went everywhere— "

"And Moxie tried to eat a fish—"

"And I was Mop Sammy—"

"The bug was on my head—"

"And I tried to get up—"

"Then the china cabinet fell—"

"And we're really sorry," Selena finished.

"Sorry is so not gonna fix this," Rosie groaned. "Okay, how about we all get you out. Be careful, there's glass."

"We really are sorry, Rosie," Gabriella said. "We'll pay for everything."

All five of them quietly moved out of the kitchen. Julie looked at Steve. "This night was…interesting."

Rosie chuckled and nodded. "Don't you know it. Okay, I got them. Why don't you head for Vegas."

"Thanks so much, Rose," Julie said. "This means so much."

Rosie nodded and closed the door as they left. She leaned against it and sighed as she heard the soft dripping of the water. "Kids!"

The five of them came down the steps. "Yeah?"

"Come here."

Hesitantly they walked up to her.

"I guess I can't really yell at you since this was an accident. But girls, I do need money to fix—"

"It's done," Reva said right away. "We'll pay for it."

"Okay…well, let's get cleaning."

"Does Yoda have to help, too?" Sammy asked, holding up his box.

Rosie shook her head. "No…in fact, I think it would be best to keep Yoda in his little box for now, okay?"

Sammy nodded and put the box on the coffee table.

Until twelve in the morning (excluding Sammy because he had to go to bed at eight) they all cleaned up the mess they made. That meant picking little pieces of glass off the ground, putting the fishes in a smaller fish bowl, and sweeping and mopping the floor.

"We'll pay for the china cabinet and the dishes in there, Rosie," Gabriella told her.

Rosie bent and picked up two dishes that weren't cracked. "These two survived out of the thirty-six that are in there. It's okay, girls."

"Where's the bug? That's the thing that started this mess," Reva said.

"He's with Sammy," Selena answered. "And you need to apologize to him tomorrow. You made him cry."

Reva nodded. "I know, and I will.

"Okay, girls, time to go to sleep. Thanks for helping clean up."

They all went for upstairs and crowded into Gabriella's room. Reva peeled off her shirt and threw it into a hamper. "My shirt is all wet."

Gabriella threw an over-sized t-shirt at her. "Put a shirt on"

"So, how's LA," Maxine asked after they were all washed up and in their pajamas.

"Sunny," Gabriella said

"Celebrity-filled," Reva said.

"Sunny," Selena finished.

"Well, it's sunny here, too, but obviously not at night. How many other celebrities do you know?"

"Well, we know Justin Bieber," Selena said.

"I did a movie with Taylor Lautner two years ago," Reva announced. "We hit it off like that. I also met Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and Ashley Green."

"I met Katy Perry, Russell Brand and Miley Cyrus at the MTV Movie Awards last year. And I took a photo with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt like six years ago at my movie premier _Lilypad_."

"Oh, I remember that movie. I read the book. You were seriously a good Lily."

Gabriella flipped her hair over her shoulder and grinned. "Well, I try."

"You guys are all awesome. I wish I could've been there for your mini concert at the park. Troy Bolton was there."

"By any chance, is Troy Bolton a tall, handsome blue-eyed boy with chestnut hair?" Selena questioned and Maxine nodded. Selena and Reva all looked at Gabriella, smirking. Gabriella hid her face in her arms.

"Am I missing something?" Maxine asked.

"They love each other," Reva sung.

"We do not! He just asked if I needed help with putting an amp away and I said no thanks and his eyes just threw me off track."

"That happens to all new comers," Maxine said, sitting up. She slipped off the bed and started pulling out the bottom bed. "But him and me are just…friends," she grunted as she pulled out the bed. "I'm a dancer there. Dancers and the basketball team are really close. No one really knows why, though."

"Gabriella likes to dance," Selena blurted. Gabriella pinched her. "Shut the fuck up. No I don't."

"What I say about the f bomb?" Rosie yelled form somewhere. The girls all jumped. "Sorry," Gabriella yelled back and giggled.

"Fuuuuuck, how'd she hear us?" Reva whispered, drawing out the word on purpose, and they all started laughing.

"Okay, that's it. Time to go to bed," Rosie said, coming into the room. "I wasn't in my room, I was coming up the steps and heard you. Now, Reva, Selena, scatter. Gabriella, Max, get to sleep. Especially you, Max. You have school tomorrow. I better not hear any bickering from you two." She pointed to Gabriella and Max then walked out of the room, Reva and Selena following.

Maxine turned off the lights then sunk low into her bed.

Gabriella peered out the door making sure Rosie wasn't there before bouncing back on her bed and whispering, "Fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck, fuck, fuck, f—."

"Gabriella!"

Gabriella dived under the covers while Maxine, Reva and Selena laughed.


	4. Don't Hurt Me For Being a Saint

Chapter 4:

Don't Hurt Me for Being a Saint

**Will I have to say it again? I don't own anything!**

"See you later, guys," Gabriella, Reva and Selena called out to Maxine and Sammy. They waved and jumped into the Escalade before Rosie drove off. Gabriella closed the door before sitting her laptop on the table and sitting down in a chair. She opened Skype and waited for her mom to answer.

When she did, the girls covered their eyes. "Ew, mom. TMI. Put some clothes on, will you?" Reva said, taking her hand off her eyes. Rayline shrugged a shirt on before adjusting the camera so only she'd show. "So, you have a boyfriend now?"

"I guess. I haven't dated in years. I think I should start now."

"That's good."

"Okay, enough about me, what's up? Rosie called me last night and told me what happened."

"Ah…that was really funny and messy," Gabriella said. "But Maxine and Sammy are nice. Maxine is obviously a fan, but she doesn't show it, really."

"That's good to hear. I sent the money out this morning. It should arrive soon."

"Thanks, mom."

"Well, I have to go. I've been in bed all yesterday."

"See you later, mom," Gabriella said. Before she could close it, Selena shouted, "Don't forget a condom!"

Gabriella pushed her before getting up and walking into the kitchen. "Who's hungry?"

"Bacon!" Selena pushed her way through her sisters and picked up a piece of bacon.

"I'm surprised you aren't fat, Sel," Reva said, sitting down on the stool. "You eat like a man."

"Yeah, Selena. You're the smallest one at this table—boobs included—but you eat like a man. How is that?"

Selena shrugged. "I dance, play soccer, and play softball. You have to stay in shape."

"Okay, let's search us up on the web." Gabriella pulled open the internet and typed in** The Montez Trio. **

"Well, everyone knows where we are. Middle finger…concert…new boyfriend…hey, look, a rumor. Apparently I'm engaged," Gabriella said.

Selena gasped and hit her. "And you didn't tell me? Some sister you are!"

Gabriella shrugged. "I didn't even know. I wonder who my fiancé is."

"Ooh, is it Taylor Lautner? Not only is he hot, but you'd be perfect together," Reva said.

"No, it's Troy Bolton," Gabriella said, examining the page. "Just because I talk to a boy I get engaged now?"

"Let's see. If you two got together you'd be…Groy? No…Trabriella. No…Troyella…Yes! Troyella would be the new celebrity relationship," Selena said, wiping her mouth.

"Have you forgotten we'll be outta here in six months?" Reva questioned.

"No, I haven't, but I can dream, can't I?"

Gabriella got off the stool and started for the backdoor. Then she looked out she grinned and turned back to her sisters. "Who wants to go swimming?"

**G*L*A*M*O*R*O*U*S**

Reva squealed as Selena pushed her into the pool. "Bitch!" Selena just laughed and jumped in, Gabriella in tow.

All morning and afternoon they played in the pool. They were in a session of volleyball when the backdoor opened and Rosie, Maxine and Sammy came through. "Hey, guys."

"Hey. How was school?" Gabriella asked, coming out of the water.

"Oh, you know. The usual. People are still talking about you all. They seriously can't wait for you to come."

"A week and six days," Selena announced, coming out of the pool with Reva.

"Hey, um, so would it be okay if some of my friends are here to meet you?" Maxine asked. "I told them not to, you know, get over excited."

"Of course it is," they all answered together. It was a thing they did. They weren't triplets, obviously, but they tend to say things together most of the time.

Maxine grinned before bouncing into the house and coming back out a minute later with her friends. The girl they saw in the parking lot with long blond hair came out first. Her eyes were wide when she saw them. A dark-skinned girl came out second holding hands with a guy that had a huge afro. The trio all exchanged glanced. After them came a girl with long, curly blond hair. Next came a petite girl holding hands with a guy with blond hair and then, lastly…Troy Bolton came out. Reva and Selena smirked at Gabriella.

"Well, friends, this is, you know, the Montez Trio and girls, this is my friends," Maxine said.

"Hello, I'm Reva Carmen Montez, nice to meet you," Reva said, coming up to introduce herself. "Hey, aren't you Troy Bolton? The one that is married to Gabriella Montez?"

Troy looked confused while Gabriella's eyes went wide. "Reva! What the fuck?"

She started chasing after her while Rosie called out, "What did I say about the f bomb?"

Reva slipped and fell into the pool. Gabriella laughed. "S-sorry, Rosie."

Reva climbed out of the pool and sighed.

"Am I missing something?' Troy asked, looking at Gabriella. Gabriella looked to Reva and Reva looked to Selena. "Well…you see, you were talking to Gabriella at the park yesterday and now people think you're engaged. Ooh, can I be your bridesmaid, Gabs?"

"You're getting married?" Rosie and Maxine questioned together. Gabriella shook and dropped her head in her hands. "No, I am not getting married to him."

"This is all so weird," the girl with the long blond hair announced. Maxine looked to her then back to the girls. "Okay, let me introduce everyone properly. As you all know, this is Troy," Maxine said, pointing to him. "This is Chad Danforth, Kelsi Neilson, Sharpay Evans, Ryan Evans, Taylor McKessie and Leilani Bolton. And… you obviously all know the Montez Trio."

"You guys are the best," Sharpay exclaimed stepping up. "And I don't think I've ever said that to anyone except mommy and daddy when they bought me my first car. And my second. And third, fourth, fifth, sixth—"

"Okay, we get it, Shar," Ryan said.

"I love your name," Reva announced. "It's a stage name…so unique and fascinating." Sharpay looked like she was about to faint. She fanned herself with her newly manicured hand. "She's a huge fan," Maxine explained and Reva nodded.

They all went into the house and once Gabriella, Selena and Reva were all changed they sat in Gabriella's room to hang out and do homework. "I don't get this," Troy announced, erasing a mistake he did. "Alberga is retarded."

"Or maybe it's just you," Leilani said, jolting down another answer. Gabriella scooted closer to Troy and looked down at his homework. "It's actually easy," she said, taking his book. Troy watched as she wrote down an answer. "You make it look easy," he commented.

"That's because it is. This should be ten over pie while this one is eight over pie." She also corrected that one.

"Dammit, you can sing, act and you're smart."

She passed him back his notebook. "So are you. You just have to pay attention in class."

"His mind is on basketball in class," Leilani said, not looking up from her work.

"And you say that like it's a bad thing," Chad said. "My man Hoops has got it going on."

They laughed and high-fived each other.

"Shar, we have to go now," Ryan said, standing. "It was nice hanging around with you guys. Maybe we can do it again soon?"

"But I don't wanna go," Sharpay whined, getting dragged form the room by Kelsi and Ryan. "Bye Gabriella, Selena and Reva!"

When she was gone, Maxine turned to them and grinned. "She is always bragging about herself and hardly ever says anything nice to people. You guys are her weakness."

"And mine," Chad said then said slyly, "And Gabriella is Troy's."

They both blushed. Gabriella stood and grabbed a lyric book. "You guys wanna hear something I wrote?"

"You wrote a new song?" Selena questioned, getting onto the bed. Gabriella nodded and picked up her laptop. She played the tune to the song. It was a quick tempo, great for dancing. Reva and Selena jumped up and started dancing. "I love this song," Selena said. "C'mon, guys. Dance!" Gabriella turned off the song and closed her laptop. "Okay, none of that."

Selena and Reva fell to the floor. "I can't until we go to school," Selena admitted, sitting up. "Are there any people who won't like us?"

Leilani rolled her eyes. "Ugh, Reyna and her stupid cheerleaders. She thinks she's all that and when she heard that you guys were coming, she acted like she didn't care and that she'd still be queen of East High."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "That's so cliché. Typical bitchy head-cheerleader."

"I hope you don't think the basketball captain is a jackass," Troy said behind her. Gabriella turned to him and smiled. "No…he's actually nice."

"And I think I'm gonna gag," Reva said.

"I think you two are cute," Selena commented.

"What about me?" Chad asked. "Is the co-captain a jackass?"

Gabriella giggled and shook her head. "No."

"Hey, you guys wanna go swimming?" Maxine suggested and they all agreed. Gabriella, Selena and Reva all got back into the bikinis and Maxine, Leilani, Troy, Taylor and Chad got bathing suites from Rosie.

"Let's play Chicken," Chad suggested. "I got Taylor!"

Taylor rolled her eyes and slipped into the pool. "I call Gabriella," Troy announced. Gabriela raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Don't be a baby."

"Yeah, I'll go easy on you," Taylor said, already on Chad's shoulders. Gabriella reluctantly got into the pool. Troy swam under her and put his head between her legs before coming out of the water. Gabriella gasped and hung onto his neck.

"Hang onto her, not me!"

"Go sister!" Reva and Selena chanted. Gabriella and Taylor went head to head, trying to knock each other off the other's shoulders. Gabriella was the first to fall into the water. Troy laughed when she came up fuming. "It's okay. Best two out of three, though."

The outcome was: Chaylor: 2; Troyella: 3. Gabriella cheered when Taylor went into the water again. "Yay! That was so fun!"

"Okay, kids, time to come in," Rosie called from Gabriella and Maxine's balcony.

They all headed inside to dry off. Chad rung out his afro then shook it. "Peter doesn't like getting wet that much."

"Peter?" Reva and Selena questioned together. Then Reva said, "You named your hair?"

"Hey, don't dis the afro, 'kay? Peter is the best out there."

Reva and Selena shared a look. "Right…"

"Okay, well we're heading out," Leilani announced, grabbing her coat. "It was nice meeting you all."

"Yeah, very nice," Troy agreed along with Chad.

"Bye, guys." Maxine closed the door after them then turned to the girls. "So, how'd you like them?"

"Oh, they were nice," Selena said.

"Yes!" Reva exclaimed. "And I think Gabriella and—"

"Say it and I'll seriously kill you," Gabriella seethed. Reva smirked before skipping up the stairs. "God, she is a weird little sister."

"I heard that!"

"You were supposed to!"

"You all talk bullpoopy," Maxine commented. Gabriella and Selena threw her weird looks. "Bull?" Gabriella said.

"Poopy?" Selena finished. "What, you have a strict policy on no shit talking?"

"No…I just don't like to cuss that often," Maxine said. Gabriella and Selena burst out laughing. "Don't hurt me for being a saint."

"C'mon, let's go to bed," Gabriella said, pulling her up the stairs.


	5. Wouldn't Be Hers Forever

I might not get every single chapter out to you guys. But know that I'm trying, okay?

Chapter 5:

Wouldn't be Hers Forever

**One week and six days later…**

"I'm so excited!" Reva exclaimed, throwing her pillow up in the air. Out came money. Selena popped up and sang, "It's raining money, hallelujah, it's raining money!"

"I've never been this excited to learn," Reva announced, bouncing on her bed. Sammy came running in and started bouncing on the bed, too. "I'm gettin' dizzy," he said, falling down. Reva fell down, too then slipped off the bed. "Where's Gabriella?"

"Gabriella is right here. Already ready for school. I hope you're done you're thirty minute parade because we have only fifteen minutes to get to school," Gabriella said, walking past the room with a lavender blouse on, and white shorts with white ballet flats. Reva and Selena quickly ran for the bathroom while Sammy climbed down off the bed.

"That song is catchy," he said. Then he ran down the hall screaming, "It's raining money, hallelujah, it's raining money!" Gabriella laughed and went down the steps. "Well, after thirty minutes, they finally are getting ready," she announced. Maxine sat down in a chair and sighed. "I've never seen anyone excited about school. I know I'm nowhere near excited."

"Well, see it from out point-of-view," Gabriella said. "We've been homeschooled our whole entire life. We never got to go out to regular school because we were famous."

"I guess I can see why you're excited. But aren't you scared about what people like Reyna might say?"

Gabriella shrugged. "She can be Queen Bitch, I don't give a fu—damn. Just as long as she keeps her distance."

Maxine shook her head. "She won't do that. She'll get under your skin so much…"

"If she does, I want you to come tell me," Rosie said. "No one will mess with my babies."

"We'll be fine, Rosie," Gabriella assured her. "She's probably not that tough anyway."

"She can turn the school on anyone she wants to," Maxine said. "Except you guys, of course. Principal Matsui said to be nice anyway or else there'll be serious consequences."

"Principal Whoui?" Selena questioned, coming down the stairs in a light sweater and dark skinny jeans with boots.

"Principal Matsui. He ordered everyone to welcome you guys."

"I love to be welcomed."

Maxine smiled. "I'm sure everyone does."

"Not me," Reva announced, coming down the steps. "I want a huge ceremony where people will be chanting my name. 'Reva, Reva, Reva, Reva!' and there will be lights and cameras taking my pictures." She came all the way downstairs. She was dressed in a sparkly belly-button top and had on short shorts.

"I wonder what happened to my fourteen-year-old sister," Gabriella said. "'Cause all I see is a hooker."

Reva rolled her eyes before pulling on a graphic-tee. "Better?"

"Very."

"Okay, chop-chop, people. Time for school. Sammy, come down stairs!" Sammy came bouncing down the steps. He had his cape on that had a huge Superman S on the back. He was Superman Sammy. "I'm ready, Sergeant Auntie Rosie!"

Rosie chuckled. "Okay, good. Now, girls, since you are now 'normal', you don't need Henry. But, some teens have cars and so…"

"OMG!" Selena squealed, bursting through the front door. There were two cars. A Porsche Carrera and an Audi R8. Reva crossed her arms. "It's so not fair that when you're fourteen, you can't own a drivers permit."

Gabriella and Selena were already jogging towards the cars. Rosie pulled both of them back. "Oh, no. You both don't have license yet. Before you get on the road, you need one. Until then. Let's go to the Escalade."

"But…but…but," they muttered, peering at the cars. Rosie shook her head and Reva laughed. "Ha! And I call shot-gun!"

The ride to school consisted of the girls complaining about the cars and Reva teasing them about it, Sammy singing 'Mop Sammy' and 'It's Raining Money' and Maxine quickly finishing her homework. All the while, Rosie was somehow ignoring them.

Sammy's school wasn't far from East High. It was East High Elementary he goes to. He just started first grade.

"I think the paps are following us," Maxine said, glancing out the back window. "I see a dude with a camera around his neck and he hasn't stopped following us."

"Oh, jeez," Reva said, glancing out the window as well.

"When he comes out the car to take a picture, you should ram him, Rosie," Selena suggested. Rosie laughed and pulled up into the school parking lot. People were already looking their way. Paparazzi hopped out of their cars and started crowding the car and bombarding questions their way. They could hardly get out.

The school security guards cleared them away after a minute though and they were finally able to get out and started for the school. "Hi, guys!" Sharpay yelled, waving at them. Gabriella, Selena, Reva and Maxine all waved and grinned. When they passed by Ryan, Kelsi, Leilani, Chad, Taylor and Troy, they waved also. The other students gaped at them.

After picking up their schedules and stuff they headed out the office. "I'll see you guys, later, okay? And Gabriella, watch out for your sisters."

"I will. Thanks, and bye, Rosie."

"See you later." When Rosie was gone, they started down the hallway, ignoring the looks that were driven their way. "Hey, girls," Troy and Chad said at the same time, coming up to them. Troy took Gabriella's schedule while Chad took Selena's.

"Well, Gabi, we have homeroom, third period, free period, lunch, sixth period and eighth period together," Troy told her. "Aren't you glad?"

Gabriella shook her head and smirked. "No…not really."

"Let me see yours, Sel," Troy said, reaching it from Chad. "We have first period, third period and sixth period. Awesome."

"I feel so out of place," Reva commented. "I'm around all these juniors."

"I have a younger brother who's a freshman," Troy said. "His name is Emil. Let me see your schedule to see if you guys have classes together." Reva handed him her schedule and he looked over it. "Mhmm. You guys have free period and sixth period together.

"If he's cute, I'm so celebrating," Reva said, clapping.

"He has to be, he's my brother."

"You are so full of yourself," Gabriella commented. "Anyway, walk me to Miss Darbus's room, please."

"I will. Selena, you and Chad and Maxine have the same homeroom. Why don't you walk with them?"

Chad smirked and nodded. "Okay. C'mon, Reva. I know where your homeroom is, too." They went their own way, leaving Troy and Gabriella together.

"You so sent them off on purpose," Gabriella quietly commented.

"Maybe I wanted to spend some alone time with you." He bumped shoulders with her and grinned down at her. "So, we haven't had much time to get to know each other. What's your favorite song that you've ever sung?"

"Um…that's hard. Uh, how about _'What the Hell?'_? That one was pretty hardcore."

"Oh, yeah, that was definitely one of my favorites. But my favorite one is _'Lovely Man_."

Gabriella grinned up at him. "What? The lyrics catch your attention, or something?"

Troy shrugged. "Something like that."

"So, um, tell me about this Reyna character. Maxine doesn't like her."

"None of my friends do. She's a bitch. We used to go out so she could climb the popularity ladder, but after she became a cheerleader she started sleeping with other guys, I broke up with her. She said she didn't need me though since she had all the followers that I had."

Gabriella frowned. "That sucks. How did you feel afterwards?"

"Like a weight just got lifted off my shoulders," he admitted. "I was free. I mean, I could've broken up with her anytime, but after I saw what she really was, I knew I was breaking up with a bitch instead of a sweet girl."

"That's what you want in a girl?" Gabriella asked, looking up at him with interest.

"Well, yeah. I don't want a bitch or a slut or something like that. I want someone who wants me for me. Not for my popularity or looks."

Gabriella nodded and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. "I so know how you feel. I want people to like me for me, not just my fame."

Troy nodded. "I like you and not just for your fame."

Gabriella grinned up at him. Troy stopped them in front of a door. They quickly entered. Hardly any students were there, but the ones that were gawked at Gabriella. Except one girl with blond hair and burning blue eyes. She was crowded by a bunch of people and was dressed in a very, very slutty outfit. Gabriella didn't have to be told who she was. "Reyna?" she whispered to Troy. He nodded and took her to an empty seat in the back.

"Oh, guys, look, the celebrity is here," Reyna announced the obvious then got up and striding over to Gabriella. "Hi, I'm Reyna." Gabriella didn't welcome her hand. Instead, she just said, "I've heard a bunch about you…but they weren't the best things." Reyna frowned. She shot Troy daggers and put her hand down. "Well, some people just like to make fibs, I guess."

"Yeah, and I'm sure you're one of them,' Gabriella said before sitting down in her seat. Reyna scoffed and walked off. Troy turned to Gabriella and grinned. "Damn, no one I know will stand up to Reyna like that."

"I guess you don't know me, then. Reyna seems to not like you."

"After our break-up, she's been trying to break my popularity status, but that could be really hard when I was the one who started her popularity."

Gabriella nodded and looked over to Reyna. She was glaring at them. First day of school and she's already made an enemy.

"You met Reyna?" Leilani questioned, sinking into the seat on the other side of Gabriella. Gabriella nodded . "And I think we're enemies now."

Leilani gave her a high-five. "Awesome. Welcome to the I Hate Reyna Petro Club."

Gabriella laughed. "You guys seriously hate her, don't you?"

"No one messes with my little brother," Leilani explained.

"Hey, you are only three minutes older," Troy insisted. Leilani rolled her eyes.

"Okay, class, can I have your attention now, please." Gabriella, Troy and Leilani looked to the front of the class. A woman waltzed to the front of the room in what looked like curtains draped over her whole body and she had on huge, circular glasses. Gabriella raised her eyebrows.

"As you all know, we have three special new students, and I want you to be nice and welcoming to them."

Reyna raised her hand. "What if they aren't nice and welcoming back to us?"

Miss Darbus frowned. "I'm sure that won't happen. Now, as some of you all know, the winter musicale is coming up." Sharpay made a sound of happiness and clapped her hands together. Miss Darbus grinned at her. "That is the kind of glee I am looking forward to. Do grasp the inspirational and inspiring talents of our fellow peers. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two." Miss Darbus lowered her eyes on Reyna.

"Now—" She stopped when the loud and very catchy and sexy song, "Love Faces" by Trey Songz blasted through the room. "My God, what is that monstrous music?"

Gabriella quickly fished into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She looked down at it to see her mother's face blinking on the screen. "Miss Montez?" Gabriella quickly turned off her phone. Everyone busted out laughing and Gabriella felt her face getting hot.

Gabriella looked up. "I'm so sorry, Miss Darbus," she quickly apologized. "I—"

"Oh, that's too bad, a detention on your first day," Reyna said, smirking at her.

Miss Darbus frowned at Reyna. "Miss Petro, how disrespectful of you to say that. And unnecessary. Detention. Fifteen minutes. You as well, Miss Montez."

Troy's eyes grew wide. He stood up. Miss Darbus looked at him. "Yes, Mr. Bolton?"

"Uh…uh, um, well, she just got here, Miss Darbus, your honor. Uh, don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"Well, then perhaps you'd like to join her?"

Troy nodded and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" When he sat back down, Gabriella gaped at him, completely stunned. "What?" he mouthed to her.

Gabriella tore a piece of paper from her notebook, scribbled something down, and then passed it to Troy. 

_What the hell was that? I don't want you to get detention because of me. _

Troy looked up from the paper and grinned. The next second the bell rung and everyone was flooding out of the room. Gabriella caught up with Troy. "Why'd you do that?"

Troy shrugged. "Because I wanted to."

"Well you didn't need to," Gabriella insisted. "Plus, I only got fifteen minutes."

"Yes, but today is your first day. You don't need a detention."

"I know, but—"

"Gabriella!" A boy with a camera around his neck jogged up to them. "Gabriella, hi, I'm Oliver Sketch. But, uh, people call me Sketcher." He offered his hand to her.

Gabriella smiled at him and took his handshake. "Nice to meet you, Sketcher."

"So, um I'm the school paparazzi. I deliver all the greatest news and you and your sisters are the greatest news in the history of my sophomore year paparazziing. And I just wanted to know if I could take a picture of you."

"Uh…sure. Let me just—" Gabriella gasped when the flash hit her and Troy together.

"That was a really great picture," Oliver commented. "Thanks so much, Gabriella. Do you know where you sisters are?"

"Selena should be in Trig and Reva should be in…gym, I think," Gabriella told him, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. Oliver nodded. "Thanks." He took one last picture before dashing off. Gabriella looked at Troy. "Uh, that's Oliver. He and Emil are friends, but I have no idea why. Emil is on the track team and Oliver is just plain weird. But you get to learn to love him after a while."

"Should I be scared about appearing on the school newspaper?"

"Only if you did something bad," Troy told her, stopping at his locker. "Where's your locker?"

"Uh, it's number two hundred sixty-four. Around the corner, maybe."

Troy nodded and closed his locker after receiving something from it. Right when they were about to walk down the hall, Reyna popped in front of them. "Hey, guys!"

"Jeez, give us a heart attack why don't you?"

"Sorry, anyway, I just wanted to ask Gabriella if she'd want to be in the winter musicale. I mean, she is a famous singer and actress and it would be a big help if she'd join the arts."

"Actually, I kind of wanted to lay low with my career," Gabriella said lowly. "Just be normal for once."

Reyna frowned. "Oh come on. You can't be that inconsiderate and selfish."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes at her. "I'm not. I'm just saying it's a bit stressful and too much to take on at seventeen. I just want a break. And if you don't want that for me because _you're_ the selfish bitch, well then too bad."

Reyna checked around herself before stepping close to Gabriella. "Listen, bitch, no one talks to me like that."

Troy stepped in between them. He looked down at Reyna with daggers. "And you don't talk to her like that. Now, why don't you just leave?"

Reyna stepped back, surprised. But it disappeared quickly and she smirked. "Fine, I will. But remember, I'm still the boss. I still and always will rule East High." She then walked off leaving Gabriella and Troy alone.

"Such a bitch," Gabriella said, looking after her with dislike. Troy nodded. "C'mon, it's time for first period."

Periods flew by quickly. Many people were coming up to the girls asking for autographs and pictures. After it got out of hand, Mr. Matsui told everyone that is was enough and that they would need a break. When is was time, the Montez Trio met up at lunch. Reva included this time.

"OMG! Emil _is_ cute," Reva told Troy, coming up to sit next to them. "He even asked for my number! Anyway, how was your day, sisters?"

"_Ohmigod,_ Twin, do you see them?" Everyone at the table looked up to see two girls bouncing over. One was an African-American girl with fine features. Next to her was a girl that looked Caucasian. They plopped down in the empty seats at the table. "Who missed us?" they said at the same time which was very, very creepy.

"Twins!" Leilani exclaimed, coming to hug them. "I missed you guys so much. How was LA?"

"Ah-mazing," the African-American girl said.

"Totally," the Caucasian one said.

"Am I missing something?" Selena and Reva and Gabriella asked at the same time.

"Well, these are the Twins," Troy said. "Acelyn Landgrab." He pointed to her. She was the Caucasian girl. "And Charlene Dobson. But they're not obviously twins, in case you didn't notice. They are just similar in too many ways."

"It's like," Charlene said.

"Totally awesome to meet you," Acelyn finished.

"I have all of your movies. Especially the one with all of you together. That one was ah-mazing," Charlene said.

"I totally agree with you, Twin," Acelyn said, grinning. "I mean, you actually got to work with Taylor Lautner and Johnny Depp. I dream about them every night."

"And you actually got to kiss him," Charlene said, directing it to Gabriella. "How was it?"

"Um, well, good, I guess. Actually, no, it was amazing. If I could, I would've dated him."

"Because he's a good kisser?" Taylor asked.

"Not just for that reason. But he's really nice and funny."

"And hot. Don't forget hot."

"Oh, yes, Twin, definitely hot," Acelyn said, grinning.

"Okay, you guys are now my favorite," Reva admitted, grinning at the two. They squealed and jumped in their seats. "Did you hear that, Twin?" Charlene asked.

"Yes, I did."

Taylor rolled her eyes and put away her textbook. "Really, you guys should've stayed in LA."

"Don't get mad, Tay," Charlene said. "But we could've stayed there longer."

"But when we heard that the wonderful Montez Trio is coming, so we couldn't stay," Acelyn finished.

"So, are you guys going to be in the musical?" Sharpay asked. "I mean, I would usually hate that you'd be auditioning because you'd beat me for sure, but I don't really care right now."

"I wasn't planning on doing so," Selena said. Gabriella and Reva agreed. "We came here to forget about all of the singing and acting for a while. Just so we can cool down and become regular teenagers for once."

"How about the talent show?" Kelsi said. "Ryan and I are going to be in it. With me writing our own lyrics, of course."

"You write songs?" Gabriella asked, interested.

Kelsi nodded and tried to hide a grin. "Yeah…I write a few."

"Can I see one?"

Kelsi dig through her book bag before pulling out a thick book. She slid it over to Gabriella who immediately started flipping through the pages.

"These are really good," she commented. She looked up at Kelsi and smiled at her. She was blushing. "Mind if we sing one soon?"

"T-that would be awesome. We could anytime."

"_We_ could anytime," Selena and Reva said together. "We wanna hear the songs, too."

Kelsi's eyes went wide and she nodded vigorously. "Of course!"

"And we wanna hear you sing," the Twins said together.

"I'm coming, too—" Troy stopped talking when there was a loud screeching noise. Everyone in the cafeteria groaned.

"Uh, good afternoon, students," Principal Matsui said. "Can I have, Gabriella, Selena and Reva Montez to the office, please? Gabriella, Selena and Reva Montez to the office, please." There was another loud screech before it cut off. Everyone turned their heads to the celebrities.

"Well, if that wasn't an attention caller," Selena mumbled, getting up with her sisters.

"See you later guys," Gabriella said.

"Yeah, see you later." The three walked from the lunch room and people started to gossip instantly. Reyna stood up on the table. "I think they're stupid," she said loudly. "And fake."

"It's the bitch queen," Acelyn said. "And the only thing that is fake are your boobs, honey!"

Reyna glowered at them while the whole cafeteria rounded in laughter.

Reyna jumped down from the table and marched over to them. "Just watch and wait. I'll seriously damage you all. Especially those stupid girls who think they can come in and say that they're in charge." She marched off dramatically after that with her posse following after her.

**With the Montez Trio…**

Gabriella knocked on the office door.

"Come in." Silently, they walked into the room and Mr. Matsui smiled at them. "Hello, girls. I hope you're enjoying your day at East High."

"We are. Everyone seems nice," Gabriella said.

"Good, good. So, um, I'm sure you all heard of the winter musical and the talent show coming up and the fair, am I correct."

Gabriella nodded stiffly. "We've been informed, sir. Except for the fair."

"Well, I don't want to put any kind of pressure on you girls at all, but have you thought about signing up for either one?"

"Not really," Selena answered before Gabriella could.

Mr. Matsui's smiled dropped an inch. "Well, why not? It would increase your school performance and we're having a charity for orphans and street cats."

"Orphans and street cats?" Reva said.

"Well, yes. See, we're having a fair soon and we'll be raising money for it for the orphans and street cats. Find the cats homes and give more to the orphans. Do you think you could help?"

"We can look into it," Gabriella said. "I mean, we would love to help. But what's the schedule and what do we have to do?"

"Well, you could just help se the fair up, work at a booth or even…sing?" Mr. Matsui suggested.

"We'll do it!" Reva exclaimed.

Mr. Matsui jumped from his seat. His face was lighting up brightly. "That's wonderful. All of them?"

Reva shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. Especially if it'll raise out school performance."

"That's excellent. The sign up for the talent show, fair and winter musical is right outside the door on the bulletin board."

"Thank you so much, sir," Gabriella said tightly, before dragging Reva and Selena out of the room. When they were a great distance from it, she turned sharply to Reva. "What was that? I thought we agreed not to do any of this stuff. Stuff that would draw attention to us."

"I think it's a good idea," Selena said. "I mean, especially with the fair and all. More people will come and that results in more money for the orphans and homes for cats."

Reva nodded. "Yeah, what she said. Although I really just wanted to work the kissing booth so Emil will kiss me."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well, fine. What are we going to sing anyway?"

"How about a really good song," Reva suggested.

Selena rolled her eyes gave her a pointed look. "No, how about a really _bad_ song?"

Reva raised her eyebrows. "But if it were bad, people won't like it."

Selena hit her on the back of her head. "It's called being sarcastic, dipstick."

Reva rubbed her head. "Okay, jeez, no need to get all violent and mean."

The next second, students were flooding out of classrooms and the cafeteria. Troy and Leilani and Emil walked up to the trio. "Hey, what the Matsui want?" Troy asked, draping an arm around Gabriella.

"He wanted to know if we want to sing for the school's upcoming events," Selena said, eyeing Troy's arm around Gabriella's shoulders.

"Will you?" Emil asked.

Reva turned to him and nodded vigorously. "Yes! And it would so fantabulous. Right, sisters?"

"Right…"

"Where's everyone else?' Gabriella asked.

"They went to their next period," Troy answered, steering her away from the group. "Hey, can I show you something?" Gabriella nodded. Troy took his arm from around her shoulders and grabbed her hand, pulling her through a hallway then to a door. He pushed it opened it to show a bunch of steps. They both moved up the steps and when Gabriella saw what was up there, she gasped. "Wow…"

"I know," Troy said, leaning against the railing. "Amazing, isn't it?"

Gabriella nodded. It was like a jungle. Beautiful flowers sprouting over pots and around the silver railings. Insects crawling around, but not in a creepy way.

Troy sat down on the bench and Gabriella sat down next to him. "How'd you find this place?"

He shrugged. "I know people." Gabriella looked at him and he chuckled. "Okay, fine. I took a very wrong turn on the first day of school freshman year and found myself here. I marked this place and come up here when I want to be alone. You're the only one who knows where this place is. Well, other than Chad."

"It's beautiful up here," Gabriella said, looking around. Troy nodded. "You're beautiful." Gabriella's eyes went wide and she turned her head to him. Troy's eyes went wide, too. "Wait, I didn't mean that."

Her eyebrows rose. "So I'm ugly?" She stood and Troy stood with her.

"No! No, you're beautiful. Just, uh, you know. Um…"

Gabriella giggled. "You're cute when you have no idea what to say." Troy opened his mouth to say something when the late bell rung. Gabriella gasped and started pulling him down the steps. "Don't want to be late on the first day."

* * *

><p><p>

The day finally ended. Gabriella and Troy went to their fifteen minutes detention and the girls waited. When it was over, they could already see security guards trying to block the paparazzi from entering. Rosie was rushing out of the Escalade. "How was your first day?"

"Awesome, except for the detention," Gabriella said.

"Great," Selena added.

"Excellent," Reva quipped.

"Like normal," Maxine said.

Rosie nodded. "That's good." They all crowded into the car and Rosie drove away.

"Principal Matsui wants us to sing in the school events," Selena announced.

"And we said yes," Reva said.

"What are the events?"

"School talent show."

"Fair."

"Winter musical."

"Well, that'll sure bring the paps out," Rosie said, eying the car behind them.

When they all came home, Gabriella ran up stairs to her and Max's room. She shut and locked the door before plopping on her bed. She pulled out her phone and grinned when she saw a text message pop up.

_R u home yet? _

_Yea. Can u come over? _she replied. A few seconds later, her phone vibrated.

_Yea. B over in 5._

Gabriella put her phone down before getting up and throwing some of her clothes in her hamper. Yes, it was true she had a crush on Troy. No, wait, crush seemed to be an elementary word. How about she liked him? Yeah, she definitely liked him. It was so much more than a crush.

She sat back down on her bed and pulled out her guitar. A sweet melody warmed the room as she began to play. "There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles. Same old tired lonely place. Walls of insincerity shifting eyes and vacancy vanished when I saw your face. All I can say is it was enchanted to meet you. Your eyes "Have we met?" Across the room your silhouette starts to make its way to me. The playful conversation starts, counter all your quick remarks. Like passing notes and secrecy. And it was enchanting to meet you. All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you." Gabriella stopped when there was a knock at the door. Quickly she put the guitar down and walked slowly to the door. When she opened it, she saw Troy standing crookedly by the door. The reason that he was standing like that was because Sammy was on his head. Gabriella laughed. "How'd you get yourself in that predicament?"

"Um, well, I knocked on the door and Sammy came and opened it. I have no idea how the rest of the story went." Gabriella laughed again and pried Sammy's body off of Troy's head. He squirmed out of her hands and ran away screaming, "It's raining Yoda, hallelujah, it's raining Yoda!"

Troy chuckled. Gabriella moved to the side so he could enter. "That was…fascinating."

"That's why we love him," Gabriella told him, plopping back on her bed.

"I brought Emil and Leilani over. Reva kidnapped Emil and Leilani and Maxine and Selena went to the pool."

"Well, I feel sorry for Emil. Reva bites. Literally."

Troy laughed. He spotted an Oscar on the dresser and he walked over to it. "Damn, I can't believe you have an Oscar."

Gabriella shrugged and walked over to him. "Well, believe it. I also have an MTV movie award, an Emmy, uh, three KCA Blimps, and two VMA award's."

"Damn…"

"Yeah, it's amazing, but I kind of want the spot light on someone else. We love it. It's just…you know, too much at times."

Troy nodded. "I feel the same way. Well, not exactly the same way, of course. But…people always expect me to keep on going with basketball. I love to play it, but it gets really tiring at times."

Gabriella smiled. "I still haven't gotten the chance to see you play."

"Oh, trust me that time will come soon."

Gabriella nodded and sat back on her bed. Troy sat next to her and picked up her guitar. "So, this is Old Picasa?" Troy questioned, observing the guitar. Gabriella nodded. "Can you play something for me?"

She shied away at that. "I don't know…"

"Oh, come on. You play in front of people all the time. Can't you give me a private concert?"

Gabriella giggled before standing up and taking her guitar from him gently. "Before I fall, too fast. Kiss me quick, but make it last. So I can see how badly this will hurt me when I say goodbye. Keep it sweet. Keep it slow. Let the future pass, and don't let go. But tonight I could fall too soon under this beautiful moonlight. But you're so hypnotizing, you've got me laughing while I sing. You've got me smiling in my sleep. And I can see this unraveling, your love is where I'm falling, but please don't catch me. See this heart, won't settle down like a child running scared from a clown. I'm terrified of what you do. You make my stomach scream just when I look at you. Run far away, so I can breathe even though you're far from suffocating me. I can't set my hops too high 'cause every hello ends with a…goodbye."

Troy stood up and walked slowly to her. He lifted his hand and slowly caressed her cheek. Gabriella's words got stuck in her throat and she stopped strumming the guitar. He was so close. She could hear the beat of his heart and feel the warm, caressing push of his breath.

When he bent down and their foreheads touched, her breathing quickened. She let the guitar go. It fell gently on her beanbag chair while her hands trailed up his chest and settled on his shoulders. She tilted her head up and Troy lowered his head, closing the short distance between them.

Her stomach flipped and a white burst of sensation made her body tremble. Troy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He pulled back a moment later and his fingers brushed sensually across her scorching skin. Gabriella bent and kissed his collar bone, neck, chin, cheek and then the corner of his lips. Troy moved his head so their lips could fuse together again.

This one was more urgent. He lifted her up and Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist on instinct. Troy's legs buckled when they hit the bed and fell down onto it, but that didn't falter the kiss. Troy's tongue grazed her bottom lip and Gabriella accepted him, letting him caress the inside of her mouth. It made her feel so dizzy…so bubbly and weird. But in a very, very good way.

Gabriella pulled away in the dizzy heat of the kiss and stared down at him. She bent and kissed his nose before rolling off of him and to the side of him. She sat up and buried her head in her hands. She couldn't do this. She would be leaving in about six months. For the two weeks she's known him, he's already made her feel great and wonderful and amazing. But although it seemed like an eternity away, she'd have to give him up and leave back to her world.

Troy sat up and turned her head to him. When he saw the tears leaking from her eyes, he looked truly and really concerned. "What's wrong?"

Gabriella moved gently from his touch. "We can't do…this, Troy." She stood and Troy stood up with her. He took her hands in his. "And why not? Do you feel this?" He lifted her hand to his chest. It was beating fast and it was like the soothing voice of your mom. Troy lifted his own hand to Gabriella's heart. "And I know you feel the same."

"I do, Troy. It's just…I'll be leaving in six months. And I'll have to leave you. I don't think I could handle it," she admitted.

"But you don't need to leave, Brie," Troy said, caressing her cheek.

She put her hand over his bigger one and shook her head. "Yes I do. This isn't my world, Troy. It isn't me. My world is back in LA. Being a big-shot actress and singer."

"Well, then let us have this time together. Just until you leave." He didn't wait for her to say anything. He bent down and kissed her again. Gabriella savored this. It wouldn't be hers forever.


	6. When Did This Happen?

I might not get every single chapter out to you guys. But know that I'm trying, okay?

Chapter 6:

When Did This Happen?

"Gabriella, where—" Rosie stopped in the middle of her sentence when she opened the door to Gabriella's room. Gabriella and Troy jumped away as if they were just electrocuted. Gabriella's face became hot and red. She looked at Troy to see him holding back a laugh.

"Well, if you guys were doing something more explicit, I'd be mad," Rosie muttered. "But, anyway, your mom wants to talk to you." She extended the phone.

Gabriella took the phone from Rosie and she left. "Thanks," she squeaked. Troy chocked on a laugh. She sent daggers his way before walking to her bed and sitting on it. "Hello?"

_"Hey, chica,"_ Rayline said cheerfully. _"How's it going?" _

"Oh, you know, the usual," Gabriella responded, scratching her head. Troy got on his knees in front of her and ran a thumb across her bottom lip. She kept her eyes on him.

_"That's good, that's good. Find any boy there, yet?" _

"Um…I guess you could say that…"

_"What do you mean?" _

Gabriella's breath quickened when he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. "Uh…uh…well, there is this boy."

_"What's his name?" _

"Did you see the new article on the internet about a boy and me being engaged?"

_"You're engaged?" _

"No, mami, I'm not engaged. But the paps think I am."

_"Ooh, what's his name? Will there be grandchildren soon? Wait, no, no grandchildren. I'm only thirty-five."_

Gabriella sighed softly when Troy kissed her neck just below her ear then started sucking. "I-I'm not…engaged, mami. H-his name is…um, Troy Bolton." Gabriella bit her lip, trying to suppress a moan, and rolled her head back so Troy could have better access. Her fingers threaded through his hair and she gripped at it.

"You okay, hun? You sound strained."

"S-strained? N-no I'm—" She gasped and squirmed beneath Troy's touch. "perfectly fine."

"Hmmm. Well, okay. I'm gonna go now. Talk to you later?"

"Y-yeah. Definitely." When her mother hung up, Gabriella did too then pushed Troy off of her. "Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

Troy stood and went to stand in front of her. "No, it's just funny seeing you like that. All hot and bothered."

She hit his chest playfully before opening her room door and stepping out. Sammy was still running around the hall. Rosie was watching him thoughtfully while Moxie sat besides her looking exactly the same.

"Hi, Gabrrrrrrrrriella," Sammy said stopping in front of her. "Have you seen Yoda?"

Gabriella opened her mouth to say no when she heard a scream of bloody murder. Reva came running out her room screaming her ass off. Emil was coming out looking clueless and Yoda was on his head. "I thought she thought I was hot," he said.

"Yeah…but I don't think she thinks the tarantula is," Gabriella said.

Emil's eyes went wide and he felt on top of his head. When his fingers reached Yoda he screamed and ran the same way Reva ran. Gabriella turned to Sammy and grinned. "Yeah, I think I know where he is." Sammy smiled and ran after Emil.

Selena, Maxine and Leilani appeared up the steps. "Why was Reva screaming like that?" Selena asked.

"Emil had Yoda on his head and she obviously doesn't think Yoda is hot. At all," Gabriella clarified. She moved her hair into a pony tail because of the numerous tresses falling in her face. Maxine spotted something and her eyebrows rose and she smirked.

"Hey, guys, the family is having a cookout at the park in about an hour. Do you wanna come?"

"I'm in," Gabriella said. Everyone else agreed.

They were all about to leave for the cookout when Emil, Reva and Sammy appeared. Emil had twigs and grass and dirt piled out on his hair while Reva was breathing quickly and her eyes were wide. Sammy had Yoda on his head and was eating cheese.

"Do I want to know the story?" Rosie asked, putting the last cooler in the trunk. Reva shook her head and walked over to Gabriella. She hugged her tightly and Gabriella looked down at her. "Why are you hugging me? I don't want you to hug me. I have a bubble and you're bursting it."

"The tarantula got into my mouth," she whispered and closed her eyes tightly. "It was so horrid…so vile and disgusting."

Gabriella laughed and hugged her back. She pulled away after a second. "Well, we're going to a cookout with watermelon. Maybe that'll—" But Gabriella didn't get to finish her sentence because Reva was already in the car, jumping with excitement. They all laughed before climbing into the Escalade and driving away.

Emil tried to fix his hair in the car, When some dirt fell on Sammy he started screaming like a girl. Emil's eyes went wide. Maxine turned from the passenger to see what's wrong. "What's wrong?"

"Uh…I got dirt on him."

Sammy screamed harder and started kicking and flinging his arms. He hit Reva in the gut and Selena in the lip. Selena groaned and pulled her lip out. A bump was planted there and a blotch of blood. "I always get the busted lip."

"I want watermelon," Reva exclaimed, not fazed at Sammy's clothes-line to her stomach. Gabriella laughed and leaned her head against Troy's shoulder. Troy kissed her forehead. Leilani snuck a glance at them and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?" They moved apart quickly.

"Uh, I'm a bit tired," Gabriella said then yawned for effect. "Long day."

"Mhmm," Leilani said, unconvinced. "Whatever you say."

Gabriella and Troy held hands where Leilani couldn't see. They weren't going to tell anyone just yet about their new relationship.

When they arrived at the park, it was blocked off with security guards. People that weren't a member of Rosie's family couldn't be invited in. Well, unless she invited them. Flashes went off from behind the rope and a couple of security guards when they all left the vehicle. The paps were throwing questions their way and trying hard to get over the barriers.

They quickly hurried along to where everyone was. The air was filled with the delicious aroma of hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and more. Reva was already running off for some watermelon. "Watermelon is her drug," Selena said. "More than boys, I think."

"Do you want to see Yoda?" Sammy asked, holding the tarantula up to a pap. His eyes bugged out and he stumbled back. He knocked into like, a dozen other guys and they all tumbled over. Rosie quickly grabbed Sammy, tying not too laugh so hard.

Sammy was still holding up the tarantula and the other paps scrambled away.

"Good job, Sam," Selena said, patting his head.

He shrugged and put Yoda on his head. "I try…I think."

Selena laughed before they walked off. Rosie was introducing them to people, but Gabriella and Troy quickly snuck away without anyone looking. Gabriella leaned against the tree and grabbed Troy's face. She pulled him close to her, but didn't kiss him. Troy smirked and pulled on her belt hoops so she'd be pushed flushed against him. Their lips fused together. Just when Troy bit her lip though, Gabriella pulled away. "Uh-uh, lover boy. Before we get into the very hot and heavy make-out session, I want to get to know you. Sit." Troy did as he was told and Gabriella sat on his lap, facing him.

"This doesn't help," Troy squeaked, squirming beneath her. Gabriella giggled. "Fine, I'll give you a long, sentimental kiss after each round."

"How long is a round?"

"Twenty questions."

Troy nodded and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. "Okay, I can do that. I'll go first. I know some people already know this, but when did you first ever perform?"

"Some people don't actually know that," Gabriella told him. "People think I first performed when I was seven at the KCA's. But I first performed with my mom on my fourth birthday at this place in Time Square. I still have the video, actually. When my mom sends my other stuff out, I can ask her to send that. I was actually good. We sung 'Because You Loved Me' by Celine Dion."

"I love that song," Troy admitted, Gabriella smiled and leaned her forehead against his. "Tell me the first time you played basketball," she said wistfully and ran her fingers up and down his chest and closed her eyes. Troy ran a hand through her hair and smiled. "The first time I played was with my dad when I was three. I knew a lot about basketball, too. My dad took me to this program for young players. I had to be five, though, but when I showed them my moves, they let me in. I was the youngest and best player there. And that's where I met Chad, but he came in two years later."

Gabriella grinned and opened her eyes. She loved just gazing into his eyes. They made her insides churn and her skin tingle. "That's amazing."

Troy nodded. He played gently with the collar of her blouse. "So, who was your first boyfriend?"

"Uh…Justin, I guess. We never have time to date. Who was yours?"

"Uh, Tiffany Turner from the third grade. But it only lasted two weeks. She was my first kiss, too, but she ran after we kissed and called me Tongue Boy all the time because I put my tongue in her mouth." Gabriella giggled. "That is not funny." Troy poked her side and she started laughing. "Oh…you're ticklish?"

"N-no," she giggled." She squirmed out of his lap and tried to crawl away, but he pulled her back, rolled her over and pinned her down with one of his big hands holding her two small wrists together. Gabriella squirmed and laughed under him as he started tickling her. "Oh, my God, stop!" she laughed. After a minute, she finally got out of his grip and she stood and ran. Troy took off after her. Gabriella squealed when she was lifted off the ground and spun around.

Troy set her down, but before he could hold her back, she took off running again. The bathrooms were near and she ran into one, closing the door from him. "Oh, come on, don't be chicken," Troy said, successfully pulling open the door. Gabriella laughed as he basically pounced on he and started tickling her. "Troy!" she squealed, moving from him and the bathroom. Troy didn't let her go this time. He pinned her hands to his chest and bent down to kiss her on the lips. Gabriella kissed him back attentively.

"Mm, Troy, someone could see us," she warned him, moving back from the kiss. Troy let her hands go and sat up. Gabriella sat up with him and grinned at him. "I'm so getting you back after that," she promised him.

"Is that so?" Gabriella nodded and bit her lip. Troy laughed and pulled her closer to him. "Okay, let's get on with the questions. What's your favorite color?"

"Purple. Yours?"

"Uh, blue, I think."

Gabriella nodded. "Movie?"

"Grown Ups."

"Rent." And as the day grew, they continued asking each others questions, taking breaks to kiss each other and to just hold each other and enjoy each others presence. Somewhere between that time, Gabriella noticed the time. "Oh, shoot, Troy. It's nine ten."

Troy's eyes went wide and they both stood. They quickly wandered back to the family. Reva had said she thought Yoda had killed them. Selena and Maxine and Rosie and Leilani thought the paps ate them. Sammy thought they went somewhere away from everyone, sat, asked each other questions, tickled each other and kissed. Troy and Gabriella looked stunned at each other and him.

"You guys kissed?" Reva asked, stunned as well.

"No!" they both shouted together.

Sammy grinned. "Of course they didn't kiss! He can't do that. Me and Gabi are getting married."

Gabriella's eyes went wide. Sammy walked up to her and grabbed her hand. "Let's go, Gabi."

"I thought you said you weren't engaged," Selena said.

Gabriella nodded and tried to pull her hand out of Sammy's, but he wouldn't let go. When did this happen?


	7. I Want to Go Home

Chapter 7:

I Want to go Home

Don't own anything! (:

The ride home was silent. Sammy was looking at Gabriella, smiling up at her. Troy was on the other side of Sammy, fiddling with his hands. How'd he loose a girl to a six year old? I mean, how messed up is that?

"Well, tonight was fun," Rosie said, breaking the intense silence.

"Yeah…totally," Troy agreed stiffly. Gabriella looked at him. She pulled out her phone and quickly texted: _Talk 2 u l8ter OK?_

_We better_ was his reply. Gabriella stuffed her phone in her pocket.

"Reva ate all the watermelon," Selena sulked. "I only had one piece."

"I want some more watermelon now," Reva said.

Rosie laughed. "We'll all go shopping tomorrow after school for some food, okay?"

Rosie dropped Leilani, Troy and Emil off first then headed to her house. When they were there, the girls all crowded in Gabriella and Maxine's room. Sammy was outside the door, playing with Yoda.

"Okay, Gabriella, you're awesome, but I kind of think it'll be creepy for you to be married to my six-year-old brother."

"Do you think I like this?" Gabriella whispered, knowing full well of Sammy's presence outside of the door.

"Because you like Troy?" Selena said. Gabriella was about to say something when Maxine said, "No, she and Troy are dating. When she came out of her room with Troy, she had a hickey on her neck. It's either that or they're friends with benefits."

Reva and Selena gaped at Gabriella. "How long has this been going on?" Reva asked.

"It just started today," Gabriella said lowly.

"And you guys already got to third base?"

"No! I wouldn't give my virginity to him yet until I know I love him. But we did get to second base…"

"Reyna will hate you even more," Maxine said. "She doesn't hate him actually. I think she actually loves him. I know it's confusing and all, but when she saw you with Troy she looked completely heartbroken."

"She should've thought of that before doing that to him," Gabriella said. "It must've—" Gabriella stopped talking when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She quickly took it out and checked her text message. "It's Troy," she announced before reading the message.

_Open ur balcony door. I'm coming up. _

Gabriella quickly replied, _I'm with the girls. Can we talk at school 2morrow? _

_As soon as we see each other. Emil keeps teasing me about loosing you to a 6yo. _Gabriella giggled at that before quickly replying.

_OK. As soon as we see each other. And tell Emil to stop teasing you or else I'll convince Reva to not go out with him. _

"What was that about?" Maxine asked.

"We just have to talk about the whole Sammy thing," Gabriella said, looking at the door. She could heart Sammy faintly talking to Yoda. "Not to mention I have to talk to Sammy, too."

"He can't be serious about this," Reva whispered.

"He looked serious," Selena said. They looked to the door when there was a knock. "Can I come in?" Sammy asked.

"Uh…yeah, come in," Gabriella said. Sammy opened the door and walked in. He looked like he had a mouthful because his cheeks were puffed out. "Where's Yoda?" Maxine asked, eyeing his mouth.

Sammy opened his mouth and there was Yoda. The girls screamed and Yoda quickly scattered out of Sammy's mouth and into his hands. "That's seriously gross, Sam," Maxine exclaimed.

"I'm going to be sick," Selena announced, coming off the bed and running to the bathroom.

Sammy wiped Yoda off and shrugged. "He taste like watermelon," he said. Reva's eyes went wide. "Yeah, I'm going to puke, too." She quickly dashed from the room.

"So, when's the wedding?" Sammy asked, climbing onto the bed and sitting in Gabriella's lap.

"Uh, Sammy—" Gabriella started to say, but Maxine quickly cut her off.

"Soon," Maxine said, giving Gabriella a hard look. "It'll be soon, don't worry. Now, why don't you go to Rosie and take a bath." Sammy nodded and hoped off the bed. When he was gone, Maxine turned to Gabriella. "You can't say there won't be a wedding. Just go along with it. He'll forget over time and you and Troy can be happy together."

"What if doesn't forget?" Gabriella asked.

Maxine shook her head. "He will. Trust me."

Reva and Selena came into the room after. "I don't think I'll be able to eat watermelon again," Reva said.

Gabriella and Maxine laughed then Rosie came in, telling them to all go to bed.

When the lights were out and Selena and Reva were in their own rooms, Gabriella took out her phone. She opened her text messages and smiled when she saw what Troy texted her.

_I already miss u. R the girls still with u? Can I come over and up? _

_No. Rosie mite still b up. I'll see u in like 8 hrs. _

It was a minute before he replied.

_Will u make a song about me? _

Gabriella thought for a second before replying, _I already have _

_Have I heard it? _

_No. _

_Will I hear it? _

_Maybe. Soon. _

_k. Talk 2 u la8ter? _

_Ofc. _

Gabriella pulled her duvet over her body and snuggled into her bed. She's lied to the girls. In the two weeks she's known Troy, she already fell head over heels for him.

The next day, Selena had to stay home from school because she was sick. She seemed fine the day before, but when she woke up she was all pale and her nose was red and stuffed. Gabriella walked into her room before it was time to leave.

"You okay?" she asked, sitting on the bed and rubbing her hair back. Selena nodded and slipped her hand in Gabriella's. "I miss mom," she admitted, looking away.

Gabriella frowned and turned Selena's head back to her. She could see the wetness swimming in her brown eyes. "I miss mami, too, Sel. And LA a bit, too. But being here with Rosie and all my new friends is amazing. Don't you agree?"

Selena nodded. "Yeah, but I want to see mami again."

Gabriella reached to the side of Selena's bed and pulled out Selena's laptop. She quickly pulled up Skype the reached under Selena's pillow to grab Selena's phone. "Call mom and tell her you wanna talk on Skype, okay? But now I have to go. Henry is staying here to look after you. Juts call him when you need him." Selena nodded again. "Okay, bye. Love you."

"Love you, too."

When Gabriella got into the car, she pulled out her lyric book and flipped through the pages. She stopped at a page that had a book mark there. The title was called I Promise You. This was her and Troy's song. And when she gets the courage to say she loves him, she'll sing it to him.

"I hate calculus," Reva said, digging through her book bag for her homework.

"I hate school," Maxine said.

"And I hate Reyna," Gabriella said last, looking out the window to see Reyna walking up to Troy. They all got out of the car and Gabriella watched closely at Reyna and Troy. Reyna reached for his hand, but Troy reacted quickly. He pulled his hand into his pocket. Gabriella smirked before striding over to them. "Hi, Reyna. What's up?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," she said, grinning. "Troy just asked me out and all."

"Is that so?" Gabriella crossed her arms and looked at Troy over Reyna's shoulder. He was shaking his head no. "Yes, actually."

"Well that's funny because he just asked me out on a date yesterday and I said yes. And it was right after we had a hot make-out session."

Reyna looked surprised. "Well, uh, um. Uh…Wait, you guys are dating? But you just came!"

"Yup, two weeks and two days ago," Gabriella said. "And you better watch your skanky little ass because I _will _do my worst to you."

Reyna scoffed. "You fucking bitch! You have no right to talk to me like that!" Reyna raised her hand and was about to slash it across Gabriella's face. It was like slow motion when Gabriella grabbed Reyna's wrist and stopped her from hitting her. Reyna struggled in Gabriella's grip. "Listen, bitch, I'm not one of those kids you can bully. So you better back off." Gabriella threw her wrist down and Reyna looked shocked.

"Well, you better kiss your popularity behind, because I so own it now."

"I'm so above you on that scale, Reyna," Gabriella said, smirking.

"Well, then I'll make your life here in Albuquerque hell. Just wait. You'll be crying your little spoiled ass back to LA in no time. You and your stupid sisters with no talent."

Gabriella crossed her arms as the two glowered at each other in a deadly manner. Troy grabbed Gabriella's shoulders and pulled her away. "Okay, that's enough staring. Jeez, if looks could kill, you'd both be dead."

"That was amazing, sis," Reva said, bouncing up to Gabriella. "Totally badass."

"I think the paps got that on tape," Maxine said slowly, looking at the paps. Gabriella's eyes went wide as numerous flashes went off. "Oh, I am so dead," Gabriella muttered. Troy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her head. "Well, if it helps you feel better, I think it was hot what you did," he said.

Gabriella elbowed him in the gut. "Shut up. I'm going to be on every celebrity gossip channel .Oh God, I don't even want to know what my mom will say. She always hated violence."

"You are toast," Reva said. "But anyway, I'm going now. Can you rip Reyna's fake nose off for saying we have no talent?"

Gabriella laughed and pushed her. "Just go."

"Imma go now, too," Maxine said. "Talk to you later."

"Okay."

"So, I still remember that you're engaged," Troy said, pulling Gabriella to his locker.

"Maxine and I have a plan. We go along with it until after the wedding. He'll forget about it soon."

"You sure? Because I like a girl with just me and no one else."

Gabriella gripped the collar of his button up shirt and nodded. "Positive." She pulled him in for a short kiss before pulling away. "Now, time for class."

Gabriella was happy when it was finally free period. She quickly went to look for Troy. "Hey, boyfriend!" she exclaimed, hugging him from behind. Troy laughed and turned around in her arms. "Hey. Can I teach you something?"

"Which Is…?"

"How to skateboard."

Gabriella laughed. "Okay, okay. What do you really want to teach me?" When his expression didn't change, Gabriella's mouth opened. "What? Troy, I'm clumsy. I'll fall just looking at a skateboard." Troy chuckled. "No you won't. Now, c'mon." He pulled her to his locker and pulled out a skateboard. He placed it on the linoleum floor and looked at Gabriella. "Ready?"

"Wait—we're riding in the hallway?" she asked eyeing the skateboard. Troy nodded before putting one foot on the board. "Now, get on it, but with both feet."

"You are crazy," she said, shaking her head. Troy ignored her and picked her up and placed her on the board. Gabriella squealed as he started to push off the ground a few times. He only put his other foot on the board when they gained speed.

Gabriella looked mortified as people threw themselves on their lockers as her and Troy made their way down the hall. "Hey, Lei," Troy said, waving at his sister.

"Uh, hi?"

"Troy, stop," Gabriella demanded as they neared a wall. "We're going to crash."

"No we aren't," Troy said, jumping off the board. He stopped Gabriella from going any farther. He gave her a second to calm down before he turned her around the corner and pushed her down the hall. Gabriella's eyes closed when he let her go.

"Open your eyes," Troy told her. "Or you're going to crash."

"Troy!" Gabriella squealed, loosing her balance on the board and falling to the floor. People quickly rushed to her. Troy was the first to her, though. "Brie, you okay?"

"I hate you," she groaned, rubbing her head. "Ow."

Troy laughed and helped her up. "C'mon, it wasn't that bad."

Gabriella pushed at his chest, furious. "Yes it was! I told you no and you do it anyway."

Troy grabbed her hands and held them on his chest. "I'm sorry, then."

Gabriella's eyes softened and she curled her fingers around his hand. "It's okay. Actually, it was a bit fun and exhilarating."

"And against school rules," a voice said form behind them. Gabriella and Troy turned to see Principal Matsui behind them, crossing his arms and with Reyna beside him smirking.

"Mr. Matsui," Gabriella breathed. It was her second day and she was already in trouble. "We're so sorry. It was my fault. I wanted to do it."

"No, it wasn't," Troy said. "I urged her to do it when she didn't want to."

Gabriella looked sharply at him. "No, it was me."

"No, actually, Principal Mat—"

"Okay, enough," Principal Matsui said. "I'll give you guys a warning." He turned to Gabriella, smiling brightly. "Uh, so, um, you got any tickets for your next concert? My daughter is a huge fan."

Gabriella's eyes went wide and she nodded. "I'll talk to you after I talk to my manager about it."

Mr. Matsui grinned and nodded before walking away. Reyna stared after him with wide eyes. She turned to Gabriella and snarled. "This isn't over. I can do way more damage then this." She walked away, swinging her hips. Gabriella and Troy shared a look of amusement.

"As long as she doesn't touch my sister's I'm fine," Gabriella said, walking off with Troy.

…

Charlene and Acelyn popped up in front of Gabriella in chemistry class. . "Hey Gabs," Charlene said.

"We heard about you and the hag from hell Reyna," Acelyn said, sitting down. "That was major badass."

Gabriella grinned and shrugged. "Well, I try. So, what are you guys doing afterschool? I was thinking you'd like to come shopping with the girls and me."

"Really?" Acelyn said. "I think she just invited us on a shopping spree, Twin."

"I know, Twin. I'm _so _excited."

Gabriella giggled. "So, what's up?"

"Well, this cute boy just asked me out for dinner," Charlene said. "His name is Ian Landers. And he's major hot."

"And his twin asked me out," Acelyn said. "Peter 'Usher' Landers."

"Usher?"

"Oh, yes. He's obsessed with him."

Gabriella smiled. "I met Usher when I went out with JB. He's really nice."

Charlene stifled a squeal. "User _and_ JB? OMG, Twin that is unfuckingbelievable."

"I know, Twin. I might just pass out."

"Okay, you guys are really awesome," Gabriella said, grinning at them.

"We know," they said together. Then Charlene said, "Oh, no. Reyna alert."

Gabriella and Acelyn turned to see Reyna striding over with her posse. "Hey, Gabriella. Did you see what happened to Reva? She was walking outside just now and then some stuff got poured on her. You should go see her. It was horrible and she ran to the girls' bathroom crying."

Gabriella quickly stood up. Her veins boiled with anger. "I'll talk to you guys later," she promised the Twins before running out the room and to the bathroom. She could hear the soft cries of Reva and smell the disgusting scent of sour milk. Maxine and Leilani and Taylor were by the sinks. "She wouldn't open up for us," Maxine explained, nodding her head to the handicap stall and Gabriella nodded. She knocked on the last stall. "Rev? Hey, it's me. Open up."

Gabriella heard the click of the lock on the stall and took that as an invite. She pushed open the door and engulfed Reva into a hug. Reva grasped her back and cried on her shoulder. "Oh, God, what happened?"

"They poured sour milk on me," Reva whispered, looking down at her clothes. Her black shirt was white and her hair had clumps of milk in her hair. She smelled vile, but Gabriella didn't care. "Who did, sweetie?"

"Reyna and her stupid friends. God, I'm so humiliated. Everyone was laughing and Maxine, Leilani and Taylor were trying to help me. I just ran from them."

"It's okay," Leilani said from the outside.

Gabriella peeked her head out of the stall. "Guys…sister bonding time. Do you think we could be alone?"

"Ooh, sorry, Gabs," Taylor said, dragging Maxine and Leilani out. "Sister bonding. Don't I know it." When Gabriella was sure the door was closed and locked, she put her head back into the stall and turned to her sister. She looked horrible. Her eyes were red and swollen .Tears were leaking from her eyes and she was shaking. "I want to go home," she sobbed.

"Do you? Okay, I'll call Rosie—"

"No, Gabs, I mean I want to go home, home. Like, back to LA," Reva said, wiping her eyes. Gabriella's eyes went wide and she went speechless.


	8. You'll Be Excited for Something

Chapter 8:

You'll Be Excited for Something, But Not Truly Ready

I own no song.

"What?"

She sniffled and looked Gabriella straight in the eye. "Gabs, who are we kidding? This isn't us. We just can't be normal without having paps following us every time we leave the house or school or without the principal getting us out of trouble as long as we give him tickets or an autograph—yes, I did hear about the skateboarding—or people constantly wanting our autograph or asking us to sing or something. Honestly, what normal teenager goes through that, Gabs?"

Gabriella sighed. "No one, I guess. But, Rev, we can make this work."

Reva stood up and looked irately down at Gabriella. "No! I can't take this anymore. I know it hasn't even been a month, but I want to go home. With or without you. I know this is hard on you, too, Gabriella. So stop trying to be the damn mature one and just go home."

Gabriella stood also. "This _is_ hard, Reva. But I'm not giving up. I told you, I'm sick and tired of all of this. I just want to be normal for once. I just want to settle down and stop our career for now."

"It will never stop, Gabriella," Reva said. "Get it through your thick head. We're who we are and it's never going to change."

"Sometimes change can be good," Gabriella said. "That's what dad said. He—"

"It's always him!" Reva shouted loudly. More tears were pouring over. Gabriella had never seen her cry this much. "It's always him. Well, just because you remember him doesn't mean you get to give us his stupid advice all the time because it doesn't work and it's not true and it's bull! Why can't you just give him up? He's gone; get over it!"

Gabriella felt her body shake with rage. "Don't you dare talk to me like that or talk about him like that. Dad loved you and Selena and me and his advice did and still works. I will never, ever, _ever_ forget him…and I hate you for even saying that." Gabriella left the stall at that. She closed the bathroom door with force and the people standing by looked shocked at her. Gabriella quickly sliced through them and ran to the one place only two other people knew about.

The roof that had flowers dancing all around and was made by the garden club. Troy had just shown her where this place was and it seemed like a useful place to sit and think and cry. And that's what Gabriella did. She sat on the bench, thought and then cried her eyes out.

Back in the bathroom, Reva did the same. She hadn't meant for Gabriella to hate her. She didn't want Gabriella to hate her, either. She just wanted to go home. She was scared and wanted the warmth her mom had for her every time that she was scared. She loved her new friends and Rosie, but she wanted to go home now. She couldn't take it anymore.

Reva stood up slowly and made her way to the door. When she opened it, the school hallway was deserted. She checked her watch and saw that it was almost the end of seventh period. Reva silently walked down the hallways towards seventh.

Gabriella pulled out her phone and searched her text messages. One from Maxine, Leilani, Taylor, the Twins, Chad, Kelsi and Ryan. They all wanted to know if everything was okay. The only person that had more than one text was Troy. He had three. He was just checking in on her. Gabriella quickly put her phone away before running back down the steps of the roof and back to ground level. People were swarming the hallways. She checked her watch to see it was almost time for eighth period.

As Gabriella walked in the hallway, she accidentally bumped into someone. It was Troy. "I was looking for you," he admitted, steadying Gabriella. "You okay? You've been crying."

Gabriella wiped at her eyes and sighed. "Reva and I had a fight. And it was huge." Gabriella shook her head. "I said I hate her."

"Yeah, but all sisters fight," Troy said.

"But we don't," Gabriella said. "I seriously can't remember us having a fight and it's all because she wants to go home Like, back in LA home."

Troy looked down at Gabriella with eyes like ice. "Do you want to go, too?"

"Of course not," she assured him, rubbing his bicep. "I want to stay with you and all our friends and Rosie."

Troy nodded and engulfed her in a hug. "Hey, do you want to go to dinner tonight? What you said to Reyna in the morning actually got me thinking that I should take you out on one."

Gabriella pulled back and nodded. "Yeah. But the paps will be all in our business."

Troy shrugged and started pulling her along to her eighth period class.

When it was time to leave home, there was an awkward and intense silence swarming the car. Maxine was sat in between Reva and Gabriella. To break the silence she said, "So, um, Rosie, when are we going to the DNV?"

"Um, the weekend? Yeah, the weekend. That would be the best time. So, the car is very silent and awkward. How was school?"

"Good," Maxine said.

"Horrible," Reva said.

"Revolting," Gabriella said. Reva looked at her and narrowed her eyes. "What, so you think you're so smart now?"

"Reva, I don't want to get into this—"

"No, no. Answer my question."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "No, I don't think I'm smart. What's wrong with you anyway?"

"You're what's wrong, Gabriella. You're supposed to be my big sister. You're supposed to be on my side with this."

"Maybe I don't want to," Gabriella said, looking at her.

"And why not?"

Gabriella's voice lowered. "You know why."

"Because of Troy?" Reva laughed bitterly. "What, you think you two would actually last? Gabriella, you're famous and he's just a regular boy from New Mexico. You know it wouldn't have lasted anyway."

"Don't say that!" Gabriella snapped. Rosie's eyes went wide and she looked back at Gabriella for a second. "Dammit, not everything revolves around you, Reva."

"I should say the same thing," Reva sneered. "Stop the car, Rosie."

"Reva—"

"Can you just stop the car?"

"Don't stop the car," Gabriella ordered.

Rosie quickly pulled into the driveway of the house. Reva and Gabriella marched out of the car, slamming their doors behind them. Maxine and Sammy stared wide-eyed at each other before getting out the car as well.

"What happened?" Rosie asked.

"Reva got sour milk poured on her," Maxine explained. "Gabriella went to talk to her and I think they fought instead of solving Reva's problem."

"Why didn't Reva call me?" Rosie asked. "And who poured milk on her?"

"Reyna. She and Gabriella don't like her and Reyna messed up Reva because of it."

"But why did they fight?"

Maxine shrugged. "Beats me. But I have a feeling it isn't good."

…

Reva quickly fished for her phone with clumsy hands. She was crying again. But god dammit, she wanted to stop. She wasn't the one to cry. _"Hello?"_

"Mami," Reva cried.

Rayline was instantly worried. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I wanna go home. I-I can't take it here anymore," Reva said.

"Oh, no. What happened?"

"School and Gabriella happened. I hate both of them."

"Gabriella? What did she do?"

Reva shook her head and sighed. "Mami, I just want to go home. Please."

"I'll tell Henry to drive you to the airport and you can fly out to Toronto. I'll be at the airport when you get there, okay?"

Reva nodded, instantly relieved that she'd be in her mom's arms soon. "Thank you, mami."

_"Your welcome, honey. I'll see you soon. _Te amo, bebe_." _

"Love you, too, mom." Reva ended the call before she pulled her suitcase from under her bed. Selena stirred in her sleep before opening her eyes and staring at Reva. "Rev, what's going on?"

"I'm going home," she said softly.

"What?" She sat up quickly. "You have to be kidding me. Y-you can't leave. It hasn't even been a month. School just started. W-what are you talking about you're leaving?"

"Exactly that," Reva said.

"What happened?"

"Reyna poured sour milk on me and Gabriella and I had a huge fight." Reva sighed and looked up at Selena. "Selena, who are we kidding? We're not normal. This just isn't us."

"Rev, Rev, we can make it work," Selena told her, pushing the covers off of her and sitting up. She watched wretchedly as Reva packed. "We can make it work."

"No we can't. And that's exactly what Gabriella said." Reva's hands fumbled and her alarm clock fell to the hardwood floor and cracked. "God dammit, stupid piece…of shit," she cried, sliding to the floor and burying her head in her hands. Selena quickly rushed over to her and cradled her body close. "I don't want this," she cried. "I want to go back to my normal life. I want me and Gabriella to be best friends again. It's all…I can't do it anymore, Sel."

"You don't have to, sweetie," Selena assured her, rocking her body softly. "We can go back."

"We?"

Selena nodded and tucked some loose tresses behind Reva's ears. "Yeah, we. I'm your second biggest sister. I have to stay with you."

"Gabriella's going to be mad."

"No she won't," Gabriella said, coming into the room. "Because I'm going with you."

"But…but what about Troy and everyone?" Reva asked, looking up at her. Gabriella came and sat next to them. "Guys, haven't you noticed we're more than just a band that sings and acts? We have to stick together."

"I guess we are more than that," Selena said. "We're sisters."

"Yeah, but we're _best_ sisters," Gabriella said to Reva. "If that even makes sense."

Selena nodded before picking up her guitar slowly. Her sisters watched her as she softly began strumming the guitar. "I can't pretend to know how you feel. But know that I'm here, know that I'm real."

"Say what you want, or don't talk at all. I'm not gonna let you fall," Reva sung.

"Reach for my hand 'cause it's held out for you. My shoulders are small, but you can cry on them, too," Gabriella tuned in softly.

Selena grinned. "Everything changes, but one thing is true. Understand..."

"We'll always be more than a band," they sung in harmony.

"You used to brave on the world all on your own. Now I won't let you go, go it alone," Gabriella tuned. Selena stood. "Be who you wanna be, always stand tall. I'm not gonna let you fall."

"Reach for my hand 'cause it's held out for you, my shoulders are strong, but you can cry on them, too. Everything changes, but one thing is true. Under stand…we'll always be more than a band."

"I never knew you could take me so far," Selena sung the bridge. "I've always wanted to hope that you are the ones I need."

"Reach for my hand 'cause it's held out for you, my shoulders are strong, but you can cry on them, too. Everything changes, but one thing is true. Understand…we'll always be more than a band."

"Reach for my hand 'cause it's held out for you," Gabriella said softly. "My shoulders are strong, but you can cry on them, too."

"Everything changes, but one thing is true. Understand," Reva sung.

"We'll always be more than a band."

"I don't like fighting with you," Reva said, looking at Gabriella. "I don't like fighting with either of you."

Gabriella pulled her in a sideways hug. "Don't worry, we won't fight again."

"And I didn't mean what I said about dad."

"What'd you say about him?" Selena asked.

"I said his advice wasn't good. But that's not true. His advice is amazing. Then and now."

Gabriella smiled faintly. She wanted to stick with her sisters, but what about Troy? What about Rosie and Sammy and Maxine? How could she possibly leave them?

"And," Reva said, looking at them. "And he said that you'll be excited for something, but not truly ready. And truth be told, I am still so not ready. But, Gabriella, I can't take you away from Troy and everyone. You too, Sel. I'll stay…but only if you two do."

Gabriella forced herself not to squeal out loud. She grabbed her sister into a huge hug. "Oh, my God! Thanks so much, sis. You're the best."

Reva nodded then tried to pry Gabriella off of her. "Jeez, what have you been eating? You're crushing me."

Gabriella laughed and pulled away from her.


	9. I Love You

Chapter 9:

I Love You

This chapter is SO cheesy so make sure you bring sandwich's. x)

Now that the Montez Trio was done fighting their four hour fight, they and Maxine were locked in Gabriella and Maxine's room, trying to find something perfect for her date with Troy.

"Okay, we can try this," Reva suggested, coming out of the closet with a gold, shimmering colored mini dress. Real two carrot diamond's danced around the V on the neck. Gabriella pulled a face and shook her head. "I want to show him I like him for his personality, not so I can get in his pants and see how good at sex he is."

"How about this?" Maxine came up with a cute royal purple halter top and dark denim skinny jeans. Right by her feet was four-inch purple stilettos. "But I kind of want that dress."

Gabriella grinned and went to hug Maxine. "Okay, it's perfect. And yes, you may have the dress."

"Oh, yes!" Maxine cried, jumping up and reaching for the dress. Gabriella peeled off her shirt before throwing on the purple halter top and then shimmying into her jeans. They weren't too tight, but they weren't baggy, either. Gabriella plopped down at her vanity set as Selena pulled out her make-up kit.

"Okay, _Booboo_. I'm going to make you look absolutely _gorgeous_!" Selena said, talking like a really gay hair stylist. Gabriella laughed. "Okay, close your lips and purse them like you're kissing Troy. And stay like that." Selena went to work with a strawberry flavored and colored lip-gloss. It made Gabriella's lips shiny and kissable.

Reva went to work on her hair while Selena finished applying a bit of mascara, blush, and eye shadow. When she was all done with the styling experiment, Gabriella turned to her full length mirror and gazed at herself.

Her hair fell softly down her shoulders and reaching her rib-cage in a bundle of black waves and the halter top hugged her waist perfectly and leveled her breasts and the skinny jeans brought out the curves of her butt. She turned to the girls and grinned. "It's like you're my own personal stylist when I go to a movie premier or award show."

"You look totally hot," Maxine said. Reva and Selena agreed and then they heard the echo of the door bell. Gabriella's eyes went wide and she made sure she was all ready before going to the door.

But Sammy already beat her.

He was staring up at Troy with narrowed eyes. "Listen, buddy, Gabi is _my_ girl and no one, _especially _not a pretty boy like you, will take her away. Now, scatter away and come back another day."

Troy laughed and ruffled Sammy's hair. "I love you, Sammy. But, okay, where's Gabriella?"

"Did you just hear me?" Sammy smacked Troy's hand. "She's _my_ girl. Go find your own." Sammy rammed into Troy, making him loose his balance and fall over. Gabriella's eyes shot wide open and she quickly ran to them, prying Sammy off of Troy. Sammy tried to scratch at Troy's face. "Let me have 'em!"

"Sam, Sam, calm down," Gabriella said, putting him down. She crouched down in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. "Okay, I'm your girl. It's okay. Troy and I are just going to have some fun. Maybe go to Chuckie Cheese or the movies. Is that okay?"

"Not with you looking like that! Babe, you're smokin'," Sammy said, looking over Gabriella. Gabriella quickly stood and sighed. "Okay, I have no idea where you got your mouth from, but, Sammy, we're just going out on a date. We're not going to kiss or something. I promise."

Sammy thought for a moment. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

"Well, okay, but you have to be back before my bedtime or else I'm calling the police. Okay?"

Gabriella nodded and saluted him. "Yes, sir."

"Okay, remember our promise!"

Gabriella nodded before quickly walking over to Troy who was leaning against the door jab. He had his hand covering his balls. "He…punched me…in my balls."

Gabriella laughed and tugged him out the house. "You'll be fine. Tonight is all about you and me. No Sammy, no sisters, no pa—"

Gabriella gasped as the annoying flashes of cameras blinded her vision. "I stand corrected," she mumbled, pulling on her shades. Troy wrapped an arm around her and guided her to his car.

"Gabriella, Gabriella, look this way!" "Who's the guy, Gabriella?" "Gabriella, give me a smile!" "Are you cheating on Justin?" "Are you two dating?" "Hey, what's your name?" "Gabriella, Gabriella!" "Hey, boy, let me see your face!" "Are you going on a date?" "You look gorgeous, Gabriella!"

Troy quickly pushed Gabriella in the car before getting in himself. When he closed the door, he sighed and leaned his head against the seat. "How the hell do you put up with that?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Seriously, I have no clue. But you better hurry up and drive before they topple the car over." Troy chuckled before honking the horn, but the paps didn't move. "Pretend like you're about to run them over," Gabriella told him. He put the car in drive and jerked forward. The paps quickly scattered out of the way and Troy zoomed quickly away. "This is how you live," Gabriella said, grinning at Troy. "Carpe diem, as my dad would always say."

Troy chuckled. "No, this is how you get yourself killed. I kind of don't want to be marked as the kid who got ran over by a herd of paparazzi."

Gabriella smiled. "So, where are we going?"

"Well, Sharpay's country club. There's a golf course there and Sharpay immediately said yes when I asked if we could have a date there. She was excited that Gabriella Montez would be on her grass, I guess."

Gabriella smiled. "I guess she's a big fan."

"You _guess_?" Troy pulled up into a drive way. The gate closed behind them, stopping all paparazzi. "Well, no. I mean she is a fan."

"And it's incredible. She thinks she's the best, but when you and your sisters came, she's now fourth best."

Gabriella giggled and peered out the window. Lights were plastered all over the sandy colored buildings and as Troy stopped the truck she could see the light rose petals making a narrow path to a single table with a candle lit in the center of it. Gabriella jumped out of the truck and grabbed Troy's hand as they made their way over to the sight.

"This is…incredible."

Troy picked up a rose from his pocket and handed it to Gabriella. "Uh, Leilani helped me come up with the idea. I wanted to add the violinist, but I figured that would be a little much."

Gabriella giggled and accepted the rose. "This is perfect. Thanks so much, Troy. I never got a chance to go on a first date planned out like this." Troy pulled her seat out and Gabriella sat down. Troy sat down also and pulled up a bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice cold water. "Chad sneaked me a bottle of his parent's finest champagne bottles. It's from Italy. Do you want some?"

"Of course I do." Gabriella looked up to see a waitress dressed like a penguin coming over. Literally, he was dressed like a penguin. And it was Chad. Emil was behind him, dressed as a chicken. "Happy first date to you. Happy first date to you. Happy first date to you. Happy first date to you," they sung forlornly. Chad placed a huge dish of spaghetti in front of Troy and Gabriella. Emil came over with two wine glasses. He poured each of them champagne.

"Enjoy your meal," Chad said. "Lady and the jackass tramp."

"Yes…enjoy." They quickly walked away. Well, Chad waddled away and Emil kind of skipped. Gabriella turned to Troy with wide eyes. She started laughing and Troy followed after. "They lost a bet," he explained. "Who could balance the most amounts of eggs on their tongue. I won."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, really? How many did you balance?"

"Uh…one egg. Chad and Emil couldn't even get the egg on their tongue."

Gabriella giggled before picking up her fork and swirling it in the pasta. Troy also gout a fork full of spaghetti and put it in his mouth. "So, is this going to be like the Lady and the Tramp when we eat the same noodle and end up kissing?"

Troy shrugged and wiped his mouth. "Uh, I was planning on it."

Gabriella picked up the end of a noodle and Troy picked up the other end. They slurped the noodle and then kissed. Troy moved the noodle from her mouth and into his. Gabriella came away from the kiss giggling. "That felt totally weird. Can I get a kiss that is not so weird?"

Troy leaned over the table and pressed a light kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, Gabriella was grinning dreamily. She wanted to say it. She wanted to say 'I love you' to him. But it was too soon.

When they finished their meal, Troy asked, "Do you want to dance? I have this really slow song called "Because I Loved you". Ring any bells?"

Gabriella grinned and nodded. Troy stood and took her hand and pulled her up from her seat. "This is so surreal. Like I'm filming a movie," she whispered to him, looking into his eyes. "But more real."

Troy interlaced one hand with hers and the other wrapped around her waist. Gabriella placed a hand on his broad shoulder and the two waltzed around the course, even when the song ended.

Gabriella laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "What do you think happens to people who die? Is there really an afterlife or do they just disappear forever?"

Troy thought for a moment before saying, "You can believe in what you want. Some people believe in afterlife, some don't."

"I think I do," Gabriella told him softly. "Then maybe my dad is watching over me, smiling at what I've achieved."

Troy grinned and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. Gabriella looked up at him and Troy pushed a strand or hair behind her ear before bending and kissing her. Gabriella's arms wounded around his shoulders and neck as they kissed. It wasn't like a kiss with Justin or a co-star. It was real. It was magical and wonderful and it made her insides jump with joy. She wished this could be forever. That they could be together forever.

Gabriella pulled away. She could feel the tears wetting her eyes. "I don't want to leave you," she said. "I don't want to go."

Troy bent and kissed her forehead. "It's just us now, Brie. Pretend there's no one else in the world and it's just us, dancing on the ocean. Until you leave, we're _us_. We're together. And no one can stop us from being us. Not Sammy or Reyna or LA. This is our time and we're going to use it."

Gabriella stared up at him. "Can I tell you something, Troy? Something that you could possibly run away from?"

Troy wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb. "Go ahead. No matter how dreadful or shocking it is, I won't run. Remember, it's us."

Gabriella sighed and rested her head just above his heartbeat. She could hear the steady depths of his heart beating. It was so amazing. She grabbed his hand and guided it slowly to her heart. "It's beating so fast, Troy," she murmured softly. "For you. And it's because I…I love you."

Troy wrapped his fingers around hers and grinned. "I guess my mom was right about not having a time period for love. My dad said he loved her the day after he met her and they're still together." He looked down at her. "And I love you, too. More than I already did."

Gabriella smiled and threw her arms around him. Troy picked her up and Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed the night away, swaying in the wind and to the soft melody of music. Nothing could break this.

Well, they hoped for that.


	10. Someone to fall Back On

Chapter 10:

You'll Always have **"Someone to Fall Back On"**

**I own NOTHING! Well except for the plot, but I think you already knew that...  
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It was ten o'clock when they got to Gabriella's house. They stood under the porch light as Troy was saying goodbye to Gabriella. "See you tomorrow at school?"

"Well, I was kind of thinking that maybe you could pick me up in your truck," Gabriella said. "Just so Sammy won't kill me for staying out past his bedtime."

Troy chuckled then leaned down to press a firm kiss to Gabriella's lips. It made her head dizzy and her heart explode with happiness. "I'll definitely pick you up. But we're leaving before Sammy comes out. I'd like to have children when I'm older."

Gabriella giggled then leant up and kissing his cheek. Her fingers softly threaded through his hair. "Goodnight, Troy. Love you."

"Night. Love you, too." As soon as Troy was out of sight and down the road, Gabriella quickly slipped into the house just incase the paps showed up. When she walked in, she was not surprised that the lights were on, but that Sammy was in his bathrobe, sitting on the big, plush red chair and reading the newspaper (upside down) while a cup of steaming milk stood beside him on the coffee table. He slowly lowered the newspaper and Gabriella's eyes went wide when she saw glasses settled on his face. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my lovely soon-to-be-wife coming home two hours later than expected."

Sammy jumped off the chair and slammed the newspaper down. "What were you and pretty boy doing anyway?"

"Sammy, we just had a nice picnic on this golf course. It was lame anyway," she lied. Inside her stomach was fluttering with butterflies from the night she had. "He made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and they were all sloppy and gross. Ugh, it was horrible. I kind of don't want to go out on another date with him." Okay, let's see how many lies were there. One…two…and three.

Sammy's eyes jumped with elation. "Really? Then can I take you out on a date?"

"Maybe tomorrow. Right now you have a bed to jump into."

Sammy nodded eagerly and ran up the steps. Rosie came out of the kitchen, frowning. "This won't end well, Gabriella," she said.

Gabriella sighed and put her purse down on the coffee table. "Rosie…I know it's way, way, _way_ too early to say this, but Troy and I love each other. We just said it tonight and I don't want to break it because of Sammy. No matter how much I love him as a brother."

Rosie leaned against the archway. "Then tell him that."

"I don't want to hurt him."

"Gabriella, he's a six-year-old boy. He'll get hurt if you go through with this anyway."

Gabriella groaned. "I don't even get why this is happening to me."

"Okay, well, why don't you get some rest? And tell the girls to go to bed because I don't want to hear any talking from you guys."

Gabriella nodded and trudged up the steps. When she passed the girls, leaning over the railing, on the way to her and Maxine's room, she mumbled, "Rosie said go to sleep."

Maxine rolled her eyes and followed after her. "We heard."

…

"That's so romantic," Maxine squealed, pulling on her shirt. "And I can't believe he said I love you. The last girl he said it to was Reyna and he got his heart broken. It's a bit odd he let his heart just fly open for you."

Gabriella shrugged as she continued to work on her hair. "I know, but no more talk of it. Sammy is awake now and I don't want him overhearing so he could have a heart attack or aneurism."

Maxine grinned. "I wonder when your weeding is happening."

Gabriella turned to her and threw a brush at her. "Shut up!"

…

"Hey, Troy," Gabriella said excitedly, jumping into his truck. The paps were taking pictures from down the street. Yup, they weren't allowed on this or the school's property or else the police would get involved.

"Hey." He started the car and drove down the street, ignoring the paps. "How was last night?"

Gabriella shrugged. "Mildly good. Sammy was awake and acting like a fifty-year-old husband. He had the glasses and newspaper and everything. I told him our date was horrible. That's a total lie by the way."

Troy nodded. "Should I feel threatened at all by him?"

Gabriella giggled. "Troy, he's six. I don't think you should."

"Yeah, but, I mean, he's crushing on my girl."

"So are other thousands of boys plus the boys at school," Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but I can actually beat some of them up."

Gabriella looked at him. "So true. Because if you touch Sam, _I_ will make sure you have no kids."

Troy chuckled. "I'm just saying. Hey, can I come to your house afterschool?"

"Be my guest."

"Thanks. Okay, here's school," Troy announced, pulling up into the parking lot. As soon as they got out, the basketball team barreled over to them. "Hey, Montez. Hey, Bolton," Chad said, nodding to them.

"Hey, Chad," Gabriella said. She turned to Troy. "I'm going to go look for Kelsi, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. See you in homeroom?"

Gabriella smiled. "Wouldn't miss it." She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. She was about to pull away when Troy picked her up and hoisted her on top of his car. Gabriella squealed as he pressed his lips harder to hers.

The team hooted when they pulled away, both breathless. "I so hate you, Wildcat," Gabriella whispered breathlessly. Troy grinned and helped her off the car. He bent and kissed her cheek. "Love you, too, Brie."

Gabriella went forward towards the school. Just as she entered, she spotted Kelsi. Gabriella grinned and walked up to her. "Hey, Kelsi."

Kelsi turned to her and smiled. "Hey, Gabriella. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Um, I just wanted to know if you're still up for the song idea."

Kelsi's small rounded face brightened instantly. "Really? That would be amazing."

Gabriella grinned. "Cool. Uh, I don't see my sisters here yet."

Kelsi grinned. "That's fine. I have a solo, too. We can see it in the music room."

Gabriella nodded. "Okay, that would be awesome."

Kelsi guided Gabriella to the music room. Different instruments measured from percussion to string were latched onto the wall. A grand piano was placed in the middle of the room. Gabriella gasped at the fine quality of it. Its obsidian black glow made her body shiver and the smooth texture made her fingers tingle.

"It's nice, I know," Kelsi said, sitting on the leather bench, Gabriella sat down next to her and grinned. "It's way more than nice."

"Yeah, I know. So, um, here's the song." Kelsi dug through a thick folder of music sheets. She pulled out a sheet titled: _Someone to Fall Back On_. Gabriella looked over it. "I, uh, wrote it with my big sister when our mom died. It's basically about her…and everyone I know and love."

Gabriella smiled and motioned for her to start.

The melody was like your mother's voice, sweet and soft in a calming tune.

"I'll never be, a night in armor with a sword in hand. Or a kamikaze fighter," Gabriella sung softly as Kelsi gently glided her fingers across the piano keys. "Don't count on me, to storm the barricades and take a stand or hold my ground. You'll never see any scars or wounds, I don't walk on coals, I won't walk on water. I am no prince, I am no saint. I am not anyone's wildest dreams. But I will stand behind and be someone to fall back on."

The melody fell into a faster tempo, but it was still nice and soft. "Some comedy, you're bruised and beaten down, but I'm the one, who's looking for a favor. Still, honestly, you don't believe me but the things I have are the things you need. You look at me like I don't make sense. Like a waste of time that serves no purpose. I am no prince, I am no saint. And if that's what you believe you need, you're wrong you don't need much. You need someone to fall back on." Kelsi ended the song there even though it wasn't finished.

"That's, like, amazing," Gabriella whispered. Kelsi grinned. "Um…thanks. But they're not that great."

"You are so wrong," Gabriella told her. "Can I use this in the public? I'll give you full credit. You and I can even create our own song one day."

Kelsi's small eyes seemed to grow larger. "Really? Seriously? That's like…that'll be awesome. I mean, that'd be…wow!"

Gabriella laughed and then the bell rang. She quickly stood and gathered her bag. "Thanks, Kels. You can come over afterschool if you'd like. Troy is coming, too."

Kelsi grinned and nodded. "I would love to. Okay, bye."

Gabriella smiled and said a quick farewell before rushing out of the door. She gasped when she ran into Reyna. "Watch where you're going, bitch," Reyna snarled.

Gabriella sighed and went to pick up Reyna's notebook. When she saw what was on the cover, she gasped. All around the cover it read: **Reyna BOLTON. Troy BOLTON+ Reyna BOLTON. 4EVER. **Gabriella looked back up at Reyna and Reyna snatched the book away. "Don't act so surprised. You knew it anyway."

"Yeah, but why'd you break his heart? Reyna, you really hurt him and you have the nerve to actually put that on your notebook?"

"What I write is none of your business," Reyna said. "So back off, bitch."

"Even if you didn't break his heart, I wouldn't know what he sees in you. All you are is a self-centered bitch."

"Don't talk, Miss I-Think-I'm-So-Great. Newsflash, pop-star, that's not the case." Then she smirked. "See you at lunch, princess." As Reyna walked off, a paper dropped from her bag. Gabriella bent and picked It up. On it was Troy's name, Rosie's address, another address and a phone number. Gabriella stuffed the paper in her pocket before walking slowly to homeroom.

When she got to homeroom, Troy and Leilani were passing flyers out to people. "Come to the party," Leilani said. "It's held at 1234 Masterman Street and Oxford Avenue. Big house, you can't miss it."

Gabriella walked up to Troy and took a flyer from his hands. "You're having a house party? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was Emil's idea," Troy explained. "He and Oliver printed some out. My parents are going to Hawaii for the weekend. Leilani and I are supposed to be the responsible ones, but I kind of do want a party."

Gabriella grinned and stuffed the paper into her pocket. "I'm so there. But I'll be in disguise so the media won't see me. I think I'll go with the Reyna look. Blond hair and fake boobs."

Troy laughed. Reyna stood and stalked over to them. "The only fake person in here is you, Montez. I don't give a fuck who you are, you will not just walk in here and start making smart-ass comments about me."

"Okay, don't call the cops," Gabriella said. "I was just kidding. Like you were kidding with pouring all the sour milk on my sister. So if you want a war, then you will get a war. But just watch out. I've been on sets where they taught me a lot about doing stuff…and I can use it against you."

Reyna smirked before turning and sitting back in her seat. Gabriella, Troy, Leilani and everyone else also sat down.

Miss Darbus came waltzing into the room the next second. "Good morning, everyone. Remember, auditions will be casted on Friday which is…tomorrow." Everyone cheered. "Okay, okay, settle down. Yes, Reyna?" Miss Darbus said, looking at Reyna who had her hand raised.

"What will we be presenting for this musical?"

Miss Darbus's pale face brightened softly. "We will be casting the wonderful Rent. The diverse and mind-churning installment."

"I think Gabriella should play Mimi," Reyna said. "I mean, they both take drugs."

"Reyna," Miss Darbus snapped, a frown overtaking her face. Gabriella glowered at Reyna who was smirking back at her. "That's why your daddy died, didn't he? Because he took drugs? He was a stupid drug-addict like his little celebrities."

"Why don't you keep your mouth where it's on the most," Gabriella snarled, her blood boiling with rage. "On your mom's dick."

The class broke out into laughter and 'ooh's'. Reyna's smile dropped quickly. "Or, you should go to Hell and suck your dad's instead." More laughter filled the room.

Gabriella stood up abruptly and Reyna stood also. They were the same height and they each were staring at each other with hate. "Say one more thing about him," Gabriella whispered. "And I swear to God…"

Reyna smirked. "You and your sisters are worthless fucks just like him. No wonder he's dead. In fact, I wouldn't surprised if you would just drop dead now. I would be jumping with joy actually."

The whole room fell silent. Reyna's hair started to stand. They were supposed to find that funny…

But Reyna could clearly see that Gabriella's face had became beat-red and tears were streaming down her face. The only sound she heard was the scraping of the chair as Troy got up and steered Gabriella out of the room. The door closed loudly behind them and all eyes turned to Reyna.

"I guess I'll see you in detention for the next month, Reyna," Miss Darbus said softly, bringing her glasses down from her eyes. "Okay, class, sit down. Hopefully Miss Montez will feel better." Reyna sat down stiffly and sighed. Okay, so this didn't work out too well. The next one would though.

Outside, Gabriella was leaned against the wall, shaking with sobs as she held her head in her hands. Troy was holding onto her, whispering calm words to her. "Shh, it's okay. It's fine now."

"God I hate her," Gabriella said.

"I think a lot of people in there don't like her either," Troy said. "Especially after what she said about you."

"I don't give a damn what she said about me!" Gabriella snapped, looking at him. "I care about what she said about my dad. He never took drugs and he's not in Hell. He tried to save people and he did, but died while doing so. She doesn't even know."

"Gabriella?" Gabriella looked up to see Selena coming down the hall. Her eyes went wide when she saw her sister's profile. Quickly she ran up to her and engulfed her in a hug. "Gabriella, what happened?"

"Selena, it's nothing," Gabriella lied to her, pushing her softly away and wiping at her eyes. "I'm fine. It's just…it's stupid."

Selena turned to Troy. "Troy, what's wrong with her?"

"You should maybe ask Reyna," Troy said, rubbing soothing circles on Gabriella's back. "I think she knows why." Just as Troy said that, the bell rung. The doors opened and out fled students. Selena stopped Reyna when she walked out. "What the hell did you do to my sister?"

Reyna looked smug. "What did I do? I don't think I did anything."

Selena raised her hand and smacked her across the face. Everyone turned to them, surprised. "Listen, bitch, Gabriella is my sister and so is Reva. And when you mess with them, you mess with me. I advise you to back off."

"What, so you think you're so superior because you've been practiced to smack someone? When I look at you though, all I see is a stupid little girl."

Gabriella stepped in then. "Just leave."

"I'm not leaving until I get an apology from this tramp for slapping me."

"If you don't leave, I'll do way more than slapping you," Gabriella promised, stepping closer to Reyna. Troy pulled her back. "Okay, okay, enough. Reyna, leave. Gabriella, Selena, let's go."

"What did she say to you anyway, Gabriella?" Selena asked when they were a distance apart.

"It was about dad," Gabriella sighed, grasping onto her necklace. "She said he took drugs and went to…Hell."

"She wouldn't," Selena sneered. "She doesn't know anything."

"That's right," Gabriella sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "But we're not going to stoop to her level anymore. We're just going to not talk to her at all."

Troy nodded. "Are you going to be okay?" Troy asked her when they stopped in front of her first period class. Gabriella nodded then leaned up to kiss him. "Thanks Troy. And you too, Sel. I'll talk to you guys later." Gabriella went and slipped into the room.

Troy turned to say something to Selena, but something caught his attention. There was a bucket above the lunch room door, obviously full of something. He smirked. "Hmm, I wonder how that got there."

Selena grinned. "Yeah. Maybe we can do something with it."

Troy nodded before they headed to first period.


	11. Accidents

Chapter 11:

Accidents

"So I heard what happened with you and Reyna," Reva announced to Gabriella, coming up to her. "I have a list of pranks Taylor Lautner and Rob wrote down. Which one do you think I should use on her?"

Gabriella turned the corner and walked up to her locker. "We're not stooping to her level, Rev. Dad and mom wouldn't want us to do it."

"Can I just pull one? Just one!"

"No."

"That's okay if you don't," Troy said, coming up with the whole group except Ryan and Kelsi. "Reyna had her own prank up her sleeve."

"She wants to either dump some stuff on you or us," Selena clarified. "Most likely you."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and closed her locker. "Okay, so now I'm warned."

"And so, why don't we just prank her with her own prank," Troy suggested. Gabriella frowned. "Fine, but count me out."

Reva grinned. "Maybe we should add some stuff to it," she suggested.

"Or maybe not," Chad said. "The bitch is making her way over here."

"Hi, Gabriella," Reyna said cheerily. She waved at everyone else. "How nice to see all of you! I saved you all seats at lunch."

"Really?" Selena said, smirking. Reyna nodded. "Yeah. Wanna join?"

"Sure," Troy said, grabbing Gabriella's forearm and pulling her away with Reyna. Gabriella took notice that everyone else fled the scene.

"Why don't you step through," Reyna said, gesturing through the big red doors. Gabriella stepped through the door and looked expectantly at Reyna. Reyna frowned and looked up at the door. "Uh, wait. Move." Gabriella moved and looked at Troy with an eyebrow raised. Reyna stomped her foot on the floor a few times before the bucket wobbled. She pushed Gabriella back in the spot. "Okay, uh, go forward." Gabriella moved forward. The bucket stopped moving. Reyna frowned and moved Gabriella back to Troy. Gabriella giggled up at him.

"What the hell is—" Reyna screamed as the bucket toppled over onto her. A red substance came from the bucket. It smelled of mildew from the eighteen hundreds. Gabriella and Troy had to look hard enough to see that it was blood. Reyna let out an ear-shattering scream. "Look, it's Carrie!" a boy from the cafeteria shouted loudly. "Carrie!" another shouted. People started chanting "Carrie!" all around and Reyna's clothes and skin soaked with her tears and the blood from the bucket.

Gabriella bit her lip, lost in though, before stepping up. "Okay, enough!" Everyone stopped their ranting. "I don't care how bad Reyna is, that's still not nice," Gabriella said. She turned to Reyna and saw the shocked look on her face. "You wanted that to fall on me, didn't you?"

Reyna looked regretful. "Yeah…"

"And Karma hit you back, didn't it?"

Reyna shook her head before walking slowly towards the bathroom. Principal Matsui was jogging down the hall. "What happened?"

"Reyna got hit with her own prank," Oliver Sketch said, snapping pictures of "Carrie". Mr. Matsui took the camera away from him. "What do you mean?"

"She tried to get all of the blood on Gabriella," a boy said.

"Can I go see her?" Gabriella questioned. She didn't wait for an answer though. She walked quickly to the girls' bathroom and locked the door behind her. The soft cries of Reyna ran through her ears and her bloody footprints stained the floor. "Reyna?"

"Here to rub it in?" she sniffled.

Gabriella moved over to her form next to a stall. She crouched down next to her. "No, of course not. I'm not like you. I don't enjoy other people's pain and humiliation."

Reyna looked at her. "I don't get it. I've been a major bitch to you and this is how you treat me? If I were you, I'd be laughing with everyone else."

Gabriella sat down next to her. "I told you, I'm not like you." That was the last thing Gabriella said to her. For a long amount of time, they were quiet except for the blood dripping off of Reyna's clothing. Reyna finally broke the silence after fifteen minutes. "The truth is, I'm so jealous of you," she admitted. "That's why I was such a bitch to you, too. And times like these and people like you that makes me want to go back in time and change who I've become."

"Why'd you become this way?" Gabriella asked softly.

Reyna shrugged and stood. "I think that's really not your business. Look, thanks for coming to check on me, but I'm going home so I can wash this disgusting stuff out of my hair." Gabriella grabbed onto Reyna's wrist as she tried to walk away. Reyna looked down at her painfully. "Just let me go," she whispered.

"Tell me," Gabriella pleaded. "I want to know. Why are you like this?"

Reyna looked like she was about to say something. But instead she pulled her hand away from Gabriella and dashed from the bathroom. Gabriella sighed before getting up slowly and washing her hands off. She then proceeded out of the bathroom.

"What'd you say to her?" Maxine asked.

"Nothing," Gabriella said firmly. "Let's just go to lunch."

Lunch was talkative. Gabriella tried to push the thought of Reyna's story to the back of her head, but it was impossible. What had happened with Reyna that was so bad to talk about? She was yanked out of her thoughts as she heard a scream. Sharpay was fanning herself as water soaked her clothes. "Chad, god, I'm soaking wet."

Chad grinned. "That's what she said."

Sharpay looked at him in disbelief. She flung some of her mashed potatoes at him. When it landed in his hair, he seriously screamed like a girl. "You got my hair! It's on fire!"

"Chad, it's not on fire," Troy said, trying to calm him down. But Chad pushed him away and ran out of the room.

"I thought I was dramatic," Sharpay said as she watched him disappear.

G*L*A*M*O*R*O*U*S

"Home, I love you home," Reva cooed, hugging the house awkwardly. Selena bumped into her and yelped. 'Ouch, my lip!"

Gabriella laughed. "It's always your lip, Sel. That's like the fourth time it got busted in less than a month." Gabriella squealed as she felt Troy grab her waist from behind and lifted her up.

"Hey! Put my woman down!"

Troy put Gabriella down and they turned to Sammy who was marching out of the house. "What's this? I turn around for a second and what do I see? Yoda, sick him!" Sammy pulled Yoda from his pocket and threw him on Troy. Troy caught Yoda. "I love tarantulas."

"You'll poison him!" Sammy snatched Yoda away and placed him gently in his pocket. "Now, stay away from my girl and go home."

"Sammy…" Gabriella sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Her teenager hormones wanted to grab Troy by the collar of his shirt and kiss him hard but that was obviously impossible with Sammy here. "This won't work. This isn't a game, this is life."

Sammy looked confused so Gabriella said it better. "Sammy, you're six, I'm seventeen. I'm a whole decade and a year older than you."

"Age doesn't matter," Sammy said. "My mom is only thirty-two and my dad is forty."

"But their closer in age at least," Gabriella said. "Plus, Troy and I are in love. This can't happen, Sam."

Sammy's bottom lip quivered as the information seared through him. "You're mean," he said to Gabriella then turned around and ran into the house. Gabriella sighed and ran after him. He closed his bedroom door in her face and Gabriella jumped back shocked. "Sammy, don't be like this."

"Leave me alone!" He threw something at the door and Gabriella winced. She had never witnessed a little kid tantrum and she had a feeling that one was coming her way. "Sammy, you have to understand. Before you even told me we were getting married, I was already with Troy. And Troy is way older than you. It adds up."

"But what happens when I become your age?"

"Then I'll be dating illegally because you'd be a minor and I'd be an adult."

Sammy poked his head reluctantly out the door. "But you're beautiful and I want to marry you."

Gabriella smiled softly and crouched down to Sammy's size. "I bet there's a girl in your class that likes you as much as you like me. And it'll be better for you because you two can grow together."

Sammy blushed. "Cassandra likes me. She told me and I gave her my ring pop. Which I don't do a lot because I like rung pops."

Gabriella gasped and started tickling Sammy's stomach. He started giggling. "You've been cheating on me, Sammy? Giving jewelry to other woman? I am shocked."

"Stop, stop! I'm sorry, Gabi, but we have a huge age difference. Maybe as time goes by we can work something out." Sammy tried to hide a grin. Gabriella grinned. 'So, you aren't mad a me?"

"How could I ever be mad at you?" Sammy said. "I love you…like a sister, of course. Hey, but before you go to Troy, can I have a kiss?"

Gabriella smiled and kissed Sammy's cheek. His cheeks lit up a bright red color. "Thanks."

Gabriella giggled and stood up straight. "No problem. Now, let's go. I want to talk about this Cassandra character."

Sammy shrugged. "She's pretty, but likes to punch me here." Sammy grabbed his…gentiles and grinned up and Gabriella. Gabriella's eyes went wide. "It hurts, but she says that I can kiss her when she does it."

"Okay, let's go." Gabriella pulled him down the steps and went out back where everyone was. Gabriella trotted over to Troy who was sat by the edge of the pool. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and rubbed his chest. "I fixed everything," she told him. Troy grinned and turned around in her arms. Gabriella grinned up at him before pressing her lips hard to his. Troy gripped her hair and moved her into his lap, but it was a bad move. Gabriella broke from the kiss and squealed as they fell into the pool.

Everyone laughed as they resurfaced. Troy laughed and dived under the water. He grabbed Gabriella's leg and pulled her down. Gabriella squealed and held onto the side of the pool. Troy successfully pulled her down though.

"They are so cute," Kelsi said, giggling. Reva turned to her. "I really love your hair. It's so soft and curly and copper colored." Kelsi smiled.

Gabriella hopped out of the pool and hid behind Chad. "Chad, he's going to kill me and I really don't appreciate it," Gabriella complained. Chad laughed. "Well, I don't know anyone who would appreciate being killed anyway."

Gabriella squealed again as Troy grabbed her and picked her up, He threw her over his shoulder and started for the house. "I'm going to put Gabriella in the closet. Be right back."

Gabriella tried to get out of his grip, but he held her to his chest. Gabriella giggled and bit the shell of his ear. Troy looked at her. "Baby, that was hot, not painful." Gabriella started placing feathery kisses on his neck. Troy sighed as he carried her to her bedroom and closed the door behind them. He put her on the bed and Gabriella pulled him down to her.

"No sex," Gabriella giggled before leaning up and kissing him. Her hands slowly started unbuttoning his shirt and then pushed it off. She pulled back and took a moment to admire his naked chest. "Dammit, Troy," she whispered. "How do you stay in shape?" Troy chuckled before pulling her lips back to his.

He bit her bottom lip and pulled at it softly before sucking it into his mouth. A soft moan vibrated from Gabriella's chest. Her hand fisted in his hair while Troy went to work on unbuttoning her blouse.

Gabriella giggled as his fingers moved sensually across her stomach. "I forgot you were ticklish there," Troy murmured against her lips. Gabriella giggled again and shrugged her shirt off her shoulders.

After ten more minutes or so of making out, Troy stopped them. "I am seriously having a hard on from this," he said and Gabriella's eyes darted to his pants. She giggled at his palpable erection sticking out from his jeans. "Well, the shower is that way, blue balls," Gabriella giggled. She sat up and pulled her shirt on. Troy watched her with disbelief. "Girlfriend, my dick is a mountain and you won't help me? How vindictive."

Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him. "Where'd you get your vocabulary from, lover boy?"

Troy pressed an attentive kiss to her lips, but when he pulled away, he left his lips over hers. "I'm friends with Taylor. I'm surprised I don't know everything and anything."

Gabriella bit her lip at his closeness. "Yeah, I guess so. You better get rid of your excited friend. Don't want the girls to talk." Gabriella slipped from under him and quickly ran from the room giggling.

"Gabriella, I will so get you!"

"Be my guest," Gabriella yelled back as she ran to the steps. She gasped as she tripped over her foot and tumbled down the steps. Her head hit the radiator at the end of the steps and she felt horrendous pain soar through her head. She screamed and clutched her head with her hands. Blood was slowly trickling from the top of her head and over he fingers. .

"Gabriella!" she heard Troy yell. He came running down the steps and to her. "Oh, fuck, Gabriella. Your head is leaking blood. Hold up." Troy ripped his shirt off and pressed it to her pained-filled head.

"Troy, it hurts," Gabriella cried.

"Just stay up," Troy begged her. "Don't close your eyes."

"What happened?" Rosie gasped. She was by Gabriella's side in a second.

"She fell down the steps," Troy said, still pressing his shirt on her wound. Gabriella cried out in pain as he hit a nerve. "Sorry."

"Call the ambulance, Troy. I got it here," Rosie said. Troy gently handed Gabriella's head to Rosie while he fished for his phone. Rosie stroked Gabriella's hair. "How'd you fall?"

"I tripped over my foot," Gabriella said. "My head hurts."

"What the hell happened?" Selena gasped as she came into the room with everyone.

"She fell down the steps. Sel, can you go get her some ice, please?"

"I've never seen so much blood," Reva said, looking down at Gabriella. "Are you okay, Gabriella?"

"My fucking head hurts," she spat. Reva backed away. "Okay, jeez. Sorry."

"Their on their way," Troy announced, taking his current spot. "Can you stand?"

Gabriella shook her head jadedly. A wave of pain mixed with wooziness took over her head. Her eyes began to wilt. "Keep her eyes open, you might have a concussion."

"My rib hurts, too," Gabriella announced faintly. She felt herself being lifted up and taken outside. After that, her world became completely black and nothing.


	12. Sympathy

Chapter 12:

Sympathy

**Must I say it?**

_"Is she going to be okay?"_ a frantic Rayline asked over the phone. Selena nodded. "Yes, mami. She just needs some stitches on her head and she ruptured her rib in one place. But she'll be fine."

_"Oh, I hope so. E! News and everything else is so frantic to seeing you guys rushing her to the hospital. Please call me when everything is cleared." _

"We will. Bye, mami." Selena hung up. Troy sighed. "This is my entire fault. If I'd just left her outside, she'd be fine."

"Don't push yourself around," Maxine said. "It's not your fault, really. She's the one who tripped." Maxine grinned. "What were you guys doing up there anyway?'

"Well, we made out and then she left so I could…fix a problem. She fell down the steps, I guess," Troy said honestly. "I wish I didn't bring her up there."

"It's not—is that Reyna?" They all looked up to see Reyna cautiously walking into the hospital. She tightened her bag around her shoulder and went to the receptionist. "What's she doing here?"

"Maybe she's visiting someone."

Reva stood up and followed after Reyna. Selena looked at Troy and Maxine with wide eyes. "Should we follow her?"

"Yeah, come on." All three of them went to Reva and followed after Reyna. Reyna stopped at a door, sucked in a breath then walked forward into a room. They watched in the window. A woman who looked frail and maybe around forty or something, was looking up at Reyna feebly. Her soft green eyes could barely stay open and she tried with all her might to smile at Reyna.

"Mom," Reyna said softly. Reva looked to the door to see it opened a bit. She turned to look at Selena, Maxine and Troy in surprise. "Her mom?"

"Sweetie, how are you?"

"Good. God, you look cold. Michael really misses you."

"I'm sure he does," Reyna's mom spat bitterly. "Is he taking good care of you? If not, I'll file divorce right this second."

"It's fine, mom."

"I'm so sorry for doing this to you, Reyna."

"Drugs are addictive," Reyna said somberly.

"Her mom was a drug addict?" Reva asked Troy and Maxine. They shrugged and Troy stepped back. "Okay, enough. Let's—"

"What are you doing here?" Reyna stepped out of the room and looked at them all. "Did you follow me to the hospital?"

"No," Maxine said. "Gabriella is here."

Reyna looked concerned for a second. "What happened to her?"

"She got a concussion and a ruptured rib cage," Troy said solemnly. "It's a long story."

"Oh, well, good luck with that." Reyna looked them over once more before stepping back into the room and closing the door behind her.

"I think we've found the bitchiness behind Reyna's face," Reva said. "She's probably all mean because her mom is in the hospital and is about to die."

"You know nothing," Reyna said, coming back out of the room. "Why don't you just go to Gabriella? I told you she might drop dead."

"I'm sure everyone would be a lot happier if you'd just drop dead," Troy seethed.

Reyna smirked. "Or, I'm sure everyone—especially your new friends—would be happy to see you drop dead after I show them a certain tape." Troy cringed and Selena and Reva looked at him confusedly.

"Troy, what's she talking about?" Selena asked.

"Nothing, let's go." Troy pulled them away from Reyna who was smirking.

"Tell Gabriella to not get well soon." Selena and Reva flipped Reyna off before turning and following Troy.

"What was that all about?" Maxine asked. "What tape is she talking about?"

"I said it was nothing," Troy said and plopped down on a chair. Rosie came striding over to them. "Hey, where were you guys? We're allowed to see Gabriella now."

"We were just saying hi to someone from school," Reyna lied partially. They _did_ see someone form school, but they so did not want to say hi. Rosie nodded and they all walked to Gabriella's room.

"Ugh, I hate this," Gabriella complained.

"You'll be getting out tonight," Rosie told her.

"Can I see your stitches?" Sammy asked. Gabriella looked at him and smiled. "When we get home. It hurts too much to move my head."

"We saw Reyna," Maxine said after Rosie and Sammy left for some food.

"Why is she here?" Gabriella wondered.

"To see her mom," Selena answered. "We think she's a drug addict. And she was all offensive when we said that about her."

"Yeah, her mom looks so pale," Troy explained. "And terrible. I actually felt bad for her."

"You shouldn't," Selena snapped. "She had said our father was a drug addict when her mom is one."

"Would you all shut up?" Gabriella asked. "Jesus. Ew, is this a porn channel?" Gabriella quickly switched off the TV. "Okay, entertain me."

Reva wiggled her eyebrows. "I think Troy has power over that. We'll be with Rosie and Sam in the cafeteria. TTYL."

"I hate it when you talk in text talk," Selena complained as they went out of the room and closed the door behind them. Troy squeezed in next to Gabriella in the bed, careful not to hurt her. They both lay on their sides so they could face each other.

"This is my fault," Troy said. "I should've kept you at the pool."

Gabriella wrinkled her nose. "Your fault? Troy, I'm just being my clumsy self. I pretty sure I would've fallen down the steps when I went up stairs to change. It can happen anytime, not just when we engage in a heavy make-out session and Troy Jr. is wound up ." Gabriella wiggled her eyebrows for effect and Troy chuckled. "But anyway, I don't really care. Just as long as you're by my side, I'm perfectly fine." She lifted her hand and ran it lightly through his hair.

Troy leaned forward and pressed an avid kiss to Gabriella's lips. Gabriella grinned and pressed her palms to his chest. This detached their lips and Troy looked at Gabriella confused. "I want to sit on you," Gabriella informed him. She sat up and swung a leg over him. Troy helped her sit upright and when Gabriella was sturdy, she placed her hand on his chest and Troy placed his hands on her hips. Gabriella grinned down at him.

"I like this position," Troy announced and Gabriella giggled. She bent down and pressed a hard, sentimental kiss to Troy's lips. "Dammit, Gabriella," Troy groaned as she wiggled above him. He tried to keep her hips in place, but she kept gyrating them in a circular motion.

Gabriella giggled and pushed away from him. "I like seeing you hard for me," she admitted. "So I try myself to make you horny." But Troy wasn't paying attention to her; he was gazing down at her lower half which was still riding his…evident bulge. Gabriella giggled and slid off of him. Troy stared at her. "You like seeing me in pain, don't you."

Gabriella smirked. "No, just bothered. But anyway, let's chat."

"No, no, no, no, no. You can't just leave me like this." Troy pointed to his pants. "without helping me with it."

Gabriella looked shy, a very atypical emotion. "Sorry, boyfriend, but I've never had foreplay before. You can use the bathroom to…fix your problem."

"You've never had oral sex?" Troy's eyes went wide. Gabriella turned away from him. "I'm glad you find it so shocking. I'm not a regular teenager like you, Troy. I don't have anyone besides my sisters and older celebrities to go to and I wouldn't even dare. So no, I haven't had oral sex yet."

"I'm sorry," Troy apologized. Regret was laced in his voice so Gabriella turned to him. "It's fine. I over reacted and it was my fault for you know, making the blood rush to your penis." She giggled and Troy smiled. He loved hearing her giggle rather in person that on TV.

"I love your giggle," he said. "Especially in person."

"I love your eyes." Gabriella sighed. "They're so blue. They're like Zac Efron's eyes. You know, I would think you two are twins. The only difference is the hair and he's a bit more muscular than you."

Troy looked shocked. "Are you comparing me to Zac Efron? Gabriella, I officially don't like you." Troy was the one who turned this time. Gabriella grinned and brushed her hand along his gentile. She felt Troy's body tense up next to her.

"Brie, don't do that," Troy said gutturally. He pushed her hand away from him gently. Gabriella feigned sadness. "Why, Troy? Do you not want me to touch you?"

"No, that's far from it," Troy grunted. "I want you to touch me and me to touch you so badly, but I know you aren't ready."

"I'll be ready," Gabriella whispered in his ear. She sat up and sighed. "Goddammit, I want to get out of this fucking hellhole so badly. I hate hospitals."

"Why?" Troy sat up also and wounded his arms around Gabriella's waist. Gabriella leaned into him and sighed. "It amazes me how I remember so much when I was seven."

"Oh, it's about your father?" Gabriella nodded mutely and Troy kissed her head. "Well, just think of it. Your dad is in a better place. Would you rather have him hooked up to a machine all his life because he could breathe because of the bad air he was inhaling or would you rather have him up in heaven, watching over you and thinking, 'Wow, my daughters have made it so far. If I could, I would wrap my arms around them and give them a speech of how proud I am of them.'"

Gabriella giggled. "You always know how to cheer me up."

Troy shrugged and pressed a wet, sloppy kiss to her cheek. "I try, babe."

G*L*A*M*O*R*O*U*S

"Okay, ready…set…go!" Reva, Maxine, Selena and Sammy all started stuffing their faces with hot Cheetos. All four of their faces were red already as they tried to stuff the whole bag into their mouth. "God, my mouth is on fire!" Selena said, but continued stuffing her mouth. Reva slammed her bag down and jumped up. "Winner! I beat you all!" Selena quickly snatched her water bottle up and gulped it down. Sammy started scraping his tongue with his nails to get the hot. Maxine grabbed the water bottle from Selena and chugged her own amount.

"I'm going to be sick," Maxine groaned.

"Well, you aren't supposed to eat food that fast."

"I only have one Cheeto left!" Sammy exclaimed. "Here, Yoda, have it." Sammy took out Yoda from his pocket and started pushing Yoda with it. Yoda started crawling away and Reva screamed. "Sammy, put it away!"

"Yoda isn't an _it_, Reva. Yoda is a human being."

Reva pulled a face. "Really? I've never seen any human so ugly before in my life."

"You're being mean. Stop it," Sammy ordered. He scooped Yoda up and put him back in his pocket. "Sorry, Sammy. I'm just bugaphobic."

Selena looked at Reva and shook her head. "Bugaphobic? Seriously, Reva?"

"What? I'm scared of bugs."

"Speaking of bugs…"

They all looked up to see Reyna plopping down at a table. She looked like she'd been crying. "You know, I'm kind of feeling sorry for her, too," Selena said sympathetically. "I don't know what I would do if Mom were dying right in front of my eyes. It happened with Dad."

"Her mom is dying?" Rosie asked.

Maxine shrugged. "Her mom looks really pale and weak."

"Maybe you guys should go talk to her."

"She hates us," Reva said. "And we hate her."

"Okay, well I'm going back to Gabriella," Rosie said, standing up. "Anyone coming?'

They all traveled back to Gabriella's room and as they walked out, Selena couldn't help but to look back at Reyna. Reyna turned and they met eyes for a second. She had a major parent loss when she was younger, but experiencing it when you're older must be hard. You've had so many memories with them and then they're just taken from your hands.

Reva knocked on the door. "There better be clothes on when we enter." She heard Gabriella squealed and Troy laugh.

"Come in," Gabriella giggled. They all came into the room and saw Gabriella sitting up in the bed and Troy sitting awkwardly in the hospital chair. "What were you guys doing?" Maxine asked.

Gabriella giggled. "Nothing. What's all over your face, Max?"

Maxine wiped at her lips and brought her hand down. Her palm was stained with the orange stuff from Cheetos. "We had a contest to see who can eat a whole bag of hot Cheetos first."

"Did Reva win?"

Reva smirked. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did win."

Troy turned to Sammy. "Dude, you let a girl beat you?"

"I only had one left!" Sammy exclaimed. He held up his index finger for emphasis. "She just won because she had a smaller bag than me."

"You make me laugh, Sam," Reva said.

"Does this make you laugh?" Sammy pulled out Yoda and shoved him in Reva's face. Reva jumped back and hid behind Maxine. Sammy laughed and put Yoda back in his pocket. "Because it makes me laugh!"


	13. T as in Testosterone?

Chapter 13

T as in Testosterone?

This is where the Rated-M comes in. ;)

It was two weeks after the stair incident. Gabriella was healing fine. Her rib didn't hurt anymore and neither did her head.

"Hey, Sel, come here," Gabriella said. It was Friday after school and the whole gang was hanging out at Rosie's house. Gabriella had gone into the house.

Selena came into the house and to the bathroom where Gabriella was. "What?"

"Wanna paint me purple?" Gabriella asked as she held up a purple paint bucket and brush. Selena's eyes went wide. "What the hell, G? Why do you want to paint yourself purple?"

"Because I'm bored and Cooke and Naomi from Real World: Las Vegas painted themselves blue and I want to see how it feels."

Selena laughed. "I remember that episode. Here, give me the brush." Selena popped open the paint bucket and Gabriella took off the over-sized tee so she was back in her bikini. Selena dipped the brush into the paint and started painting Gabriella. "I'll look so pretty," Gabriella said. "A nice little creation."

Selena laughed and pulled back from painting her torso. Twenty minutes later, she was done both her and Gabriella. "Aw, sis, you look so pretty."

"Aw, so do you. C'mon, let's go show everyone." Gabriella and Selena quickly moved out of the bathroom and out back. Sammy was the first one to see them. He pushed the pool noodle away from him and laughed at them. "Hi! You guys look purple."

"Thanks," they said together. Everyone looked their way. "OMG, this is so Real World," Acelyn said. Charlene nodded.

"What in the world is going on?" Rosie asked. "Why are you two painted purple?"

"You guys are purple…" Troy muttered. "Fucking purple."

"Hey, potty mouth, watch the crass language," Maxine said. "Why are you two purple?"

"Well, it seems you all have questions," Selena said. "It was all Gabriella's idea. We look pretty, anyway."

"No, you guys look ridiculous, actually," Chad piped. "Damn, it's kind of hot."

"What planet are you from?" Ryan said.

"Oh, you people just hate," Gabriella said and plopped down in a chair. Selena sat down next to her. "Troy, I want a kiss," Gabriella whined five minutes later.

"I so cannot take you seriously when you're purple," Troy muttered. "I mean, you're purple."

"Yes, for the tenth time."

"Okay, girls, clean up," Rosie said. "Time for dinner and I don't want paint on my chairs."

"Aw, I like being purple," Selena whined.

"That's nice. Now, go get cleaned up. I'll take everyone home after."

"Wait till I get out the shower!" Gabriella told her. "I want to say goodbye."

"Hurry up."

"We will."

Ten minutes later, Gabriella and Selena came outside. Everyone was lounging around and talking away. Emil was standing on his head and Reva was looking at him impressed. The Twins, Ryan, Kelsi, Taylor, Sharpay and Chad had left already.

"Aw, most of the party is gone," Selena whined.

"Can they stay for dinner?" Gabriella asked Rosie. "Please?"

"If it's alright with their parents."

"Our parents will be glad we'll be gone, I promise," Emil said and snuck a glance at Reva. Reva giggled.

"Well, okay. We're having my famous chicken alffredo with broccoli." Everyone moved quickly inside of the house except for Sammy. He was taking off his water wings while balancing Yoda on his head.

"Moxie!" Sammy exclaimed, moving Yoda away from Moxie. Moxie jumped on her hind legs and pushed at Sammy. Sammy gasped as he fell backwards and into the water. Without his water wings, he was thrashing his feet, trying to stay above the surface. But he couldn't.

"Where's Sammy?" Rosie asked as she came into the dinning room with a big bowl of pasta. Everyone looked around themselves, but Sammy was no where in sight. Reva's eyes moved to the window and she saw Yoda crawling by the edge of the pool and Moxie swimming in the pool. But no Sammy. The worse thought clouded her mind. "Wait, did he even come inside?" Reva and everyone else quickly jumped up and out to the pool. Sammy was turned over and slowly sinking to the bottom of the pool.

"Sammy!" Maxine yelled.

"Troy, do something," Gabriella ordered him, pushing him towards the pool. Troy jumped into the pool and swam down. He grabbed Sammy and pulled him up. When they got out of the water, he laid Sammy down and started pushing on his stomach. He pinched Sammy's nose between his index finger and thumb then bent to give him the CPR.

After a few short breaths, Troy pulled back and Sammy was coughing up water. Maxine quickly grabbed him and hugged him to her chest. "Don't you ever do that again," she ordered. Sammy nodded breathlessly and grabbed Yoda.

Rosie went and helped Sammy change and call Julie. Everyone else was crowded in the living room. "You know, _I_ almost drowned," Emil admitted. "I was swimming with the sharks—"

"Were you now?" Leilani asked sarcastically. Emil nodded and his eyes darted to Reva for a second to see if she was impressed. She looked a little. "Yeah, and then one tried to kill me so I punched it and it started getting a nose bleed."

No one except Leilani and Reva were paying attention. Troy and Gabriella were making out and Selena and Maxine were chatting it up. Leilani rolled her eyes while Reva sat up clearly amused and not convinced. "Then what happened?"

"Well, you see, the shark then tried to get its friend on me, but, you know, I knocked that one out. The other shark swam away and when he did, he hit me right here." Emil lifted his shirt so Reva could see his four pack and she giggled. Leilani had turned to Selena and Maxine. "But anyway, when he hit me, I got a little sidetracked and just sunk into the ocean. Luckily, I used my amazingly fast swimming moves and swam all the way to the shore. When I arrived, people were clapping and cheering for me."

Reva giggled and plopped down on the chair besides him. "Well, here's my own story. There once was a celebrity who was fourteen and she moved to New Mexico with her sisters. They meet these really cool people, especially the fourteen year old. His name was…what was it? Hemil? Amil? Jamil? Oh yeah, _Emil_. Anyway, they clicked really well and if you looked close enough, you could tell that they flirted and that the girl liked Emil."

Emil grinned and pressed a soft kiss to Reva's lips. Reva's heart fluttered. They both heard cheers and an applause and they pulled away.

"See, that's how you know that's my brother," Troy said. "He has my smooth moves."

"You are so cocky," Gabriella said and pinched his arm. Emil grunted. "No, see, this was all _me_."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Gabriella giggled and pressed a kiss to Troy's lips. Emil turned to Reva and kissed her again.

'Okay, enough lip-locking," Rosie ordered as she came down the stairs. Sammy was in her arms playing with Yoda and his action-figure of Captain America. "I will eat you, you ugly superhero!" he made Yoda say.

"No, no, I will kill you, you ugly bug!" Captain America said.

"Ahhhhh!" Yoda said as Captain America pounced on him. Everyone laughed and Sammy slipped Captain America in his pocket.

G*L*A*M*O*R*O*U*S

"The talent show is here!" Reva announced. "I can't wait."

"I know. Rosie, you'll make it right?"

Rosie had just found a job. She worked as a nurse and had to work late hours a lot.

Rosie nodded. "Yeah, I'll make it. It's at seven, right?"

Selena nodded and hopped on the chair. "I wish mom was here to see us."

"I'll video tape it and send it to her," Rosie promised.

Selena hugged her. "Thanks. Okay, let's go."

"I'm going to ride with Troy," Gabriella said. "Like always. See you guys at school?"

"Of course. See you, sister."

Gabriella quickly ran out to Troy's truck and jumped in. "You know, this truck is equivalent to shit."

Troy laughed and started the car. "Well, this is my baby. My dad had her since I was five. I used to help him fix cars and stuff and I said to him that I wanted to ride Delilah one—"

"Seriously? You named a car Delilah?"

"Yeah. So what? Anyway, I told him that I wanted to ride Delilah one day and that day was when I turned sixteen last year."

Gabriela smiled at him. "I love you, Troy Bolton. You know that?"

Troy chuckled and pulled up into the school. "How could I not? I love you, too."

They both climbed out of "Delilah" and walked into school, hands entwined. "So, Gabriella, Twin and I were planning on singing a song Kelsi wrote," Charlene said, coming up to them. She handed her a lyrics sheet. "What do you think?"

Gabriella looked over the song and grinned. "This song is so cool." She looked up at them. "You'll do great."

"Thanks. So, what song are you singing?"

"Uh, it's a song I made back when I was fourteen. It's nothing really awesome."

"It has to be, you made it," Acelyn said and Charlene agreed. "But, anyway, we have to go. TTYL?"

"Of course. See you later."

"So, I was thinking on being in the talent show," Troy said. Gabriella looked at him. "Doing what?"

"Singing."

"You can sing?"

Troy cleared his throat. "Well, yeah. I mean, sometimes, at least."

Gabriella was already pulling him to the music room. She closed and locked the door behind her before pushing Troy to the leather bench sat in front of the piano. She plopped down besides him and pulled out a song. "What I've been Looking For," she said. "We're going to sing it."

"Has anyone told you that you are a very direct person?"

Gabriella shrugged and situated the sheet in front of her and Troy. Her hands softly danced up and down the keys. Troy watched with interest before starting the song. "It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see that you were always there beside me."

"Thought I was alone, with no one to hold."

"But you were always there beside me. This feelings like no other, I want you to know," they sung in perfect harmony. "I've never had someone who knows me like you do the way you do. I've never had someone as good for me as you, no one like you. So lonely before I finally found what I've been looking for."

Gabriella looked at him and smiled. "Ohh, ohhh."

She stopped her fingers on the last key and Troy turned and smiled at her. "Wow, Troy, you're amazing. Ever think about coming to Hollywood?" she joked. Troy chuckled and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I couldn't. But, we have to get to class."

"Okay."

Two days later…

"Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls, welcome to East Highs Got Talent!" Chad, the emcee, boomed into the microphone. He straightened his tux. "Okay, so, how many peas does it take to make a pillow?" There were soft mummers. Chad laughed. "None, because if you lay on it, you'll squash them all!" No one laughed and Chad chuckled. "Okay, I see a desert out there. Hey, and my cousin Sandy. Hey, Sandy!" A few people laughed and Sandy waved. "Okay, well, let's start the show, shall we? First up we have Regina Price playing Lady Gaga's _Born This Way_ on her violin." Everyone clapped and welcomed Regina onto the stage.

"I like your outfit," Troy whispered in Gabriella ear. Gabriella giggled and looked down at her ripped, short denim shorts, her American flag tank top that showed her belly ring and her knee-high black boots. She turned in Troy's arms and smiled up at him. "Thanks. It kind of goes with the song, I guess."

"Are you going to tell anyone what you're singing?"

"Babe, I go on in like ten minutes. You can wait. Plus, you won't tell me what you're singing."

"That's because this is a very big surprise. Hey, I want you to meet my parents after this. After you perform, can you change into something? Emil will hand it to you."

Gabriella nodded. "Okay."

After five more performers went on, it was time for the Montez Trio. They all walked out onto the stage and the crowd erupted into applause and cheers. They grinned at each other before tuning into the song.

"I hopped off the plane at LAX with my dream and cardigan. Welcome to the land of fame excess, am I gonna fit in?" Gabriella sung and then it was Reva's turn.

"Jumped in the cab here I am for the first time. Look to my right and I see the Hollywood sign. This is all so crazy, everyone seems so famous."

Then it was Gabriella's turn again. "My tummy's turning and I'm feeling kind of homesick, too much pressure and I'm nervous. That's when the taxi man turned on the radio and a Jay-Z song was on. And the Jay-Z song was on, and the Jay-Z song was on."

Everyone cheered as they all sung the chorus together. "So I put my hands up they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away. I'm noddin' my head like yeah! Moving my hips like yeah! I got my hands up, they're playing my song, I know I'm gonna be okay. Yeah, it's a party in the USA. Yeah, it's a party in the USA!"

"Get to the club in my taxi cab everybody's looking at me now like "Who's that chick, that's rockin' kicks? She's gotta be from out of town" So hard with my girls not around me it's definitely not a Nashville party 'cause all I see are stilettos I guess I never got the memo. My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick too much pressure and I'm nervous. That's when the DJ dropped my favorite tune and a Britney song was on. And the Britney song was on. And the Britney song was on.

"So I put my hands up they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away. I'm noddin' my head like yeah! Moving my hips like yeah! I got my hands up, they're playing my song, I know I'm gonna be okay. Yeah, it's a party in the USA. Yeah, it's a party in the USA!"

Then Selena went into the bridge. "Feel like hoppin' on a flight, on a flight. Back to my hometown tonight, town tonight. Something stops me every time, every time. The DJ plays my song and I feel alright!"

"So I put my hands up they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away. I'm noddin' my head like yeah! Moving my hips like yeah! I got my hands up, they're playing my song, I know I'm gonna be okay. Yeah, it's a party in the USA. Yeah, it's a party in the USA!"

The crowd erupted into another round of applause and cheers. The trio grinned and bowed before walking backstage. "That was totally awesome!" Sharpay, Acelyn, Charlene and Leilani exclaimed together. The girls grinned. "No, that was incredible," Troy corrected them, coming up behind Gabriella and squeezing her backside. Gabriella squealed and jumped away from him. "Troy!"

"You just enjoyed seeing Gabriella's ass shake in those short shorts," Reva accused. Troy shook his head and smirked.

"Well, that was certainly inappropriate, but I'll let it slide for now," a voice said from behind them. They all turned around and gasped. "Mom!" the trio yelled and threw themselves at her in a hug. Rayline laughed and hugged them close.

"What are you doing here?" Gabriella asked as they moved away.

Rayline smiled her usual motherly smile. "My tour is stopping here for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then we go on to Nashville."

"This is so awesome!" Reva exclaimed.

"I know. You guys did great out there."

"Thanks."

"Mom, this is Troy, Emil, Leilani, Charlene, Acelyn, and Sharpay. They're some of my friends. My other friends are out in the audience."

"Well, it's nice to meet you." She smiled slyly at Troy. "And you. Gabriella can't be quiet about you."

Troy chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I get talked about. In a good way, of course."

"Yes, definitely. And you must be Emil. Reva is non-stop talking about you, too."

"Yeah, girls tend to do that. Oh, and here, Gabriella. It's your outfit."

Gabriella took the bag from him and smiled. "Okay. I'll change now. See you later, mami." Gabriella trotted off and Rayline walked off to the audience.

"Okay, up next we have my very best friend Troy Bolton singing an anonymous song," Chad announced. The crowd went into cheers and applause as Troy walked out a little awkwardly. He grabbed the mike. "Um, so I have this song. But to sing it, I need someone to sing it with. A girl." Girls from school shot up from their seats and raised their hands up high. Troy shook his head and smiled. He turned and spotted Gabriella walking out of the changing room. She was wearing a purple dress with sparkles dancing across it. It hugged her body perfectly and showed off her amazing tanned legs along with the royal purple pumps she wore. She looked absolutely amazing. "I was actually thinking along the line of Gabriella Montez." She looked up in surprise. Troy beckoned her to come forward and she did.

"You know this song," he whispered in her ear. Gabriella nodded and grabbed a mike from someone from the backstage crew. As the music started to play, Gabriella remembered what the song was.

"If I should die before I wake, it's 'cause you took my breath away. Loosing you is like living in a world with no air, oh." Gabriella sung and then Troy came in.

"I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave. My heart won't move, its incomplete. Wish there was a way that I can make you understand."

"But how do you expect me to live alone with just me? 'Cause my world revolves around you it's so hard for me to breathe."

"Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air. Can't live, can't breathe with no air. It's how I feel whenever you ain't there, it's no air, no air. Got me out here in the water so deep. Tell me how you gonna be without me. If you ain't there I just can't breathe. It's no air, no air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air," Gabriella sung and everyone cheered.

"I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew. Right off the ground to float to you. There's no gravity to hold me down for real," Troy sang.

"But somehow I'm still alive inside. You took my breath, but I survived. I don't know how, but I don't even care."

They sung the next chord together in the harmony that was unfamiliar, yet so familiar. Everyone went into another chorus of cheers. "So how do you expect me to live alone with just me? 'Cause my world revolves around you it's so hard for me to breathe. Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air. Can't live, can't breathe with no air. It's how I feel whenever you ain't there it's no air, no air. Got me out here in the water so deep tell me how you gonna be without me. If you ain't here, I just can't breathe it's no air, no air. No air, no air, no air, no more. It's no air, no air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air."

"Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air. Can't live, can't breathe with no air. It's how I feel whenever you ain't there it's no air, no air. Got me out here in the water so deep tell me how you gonna be without me. If you ain't here, I just can't breathe it's no air, no air. No air, no air, no air, no air. Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air. Can't live, can't breathe with no air. It's how I feel whenever you ain't there it's no air, no air. Got me out here in the water so deep tell me how you gonna be without me. If you ain't here, I just can't breathe it's no air, no air."

"No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air."

When they finished they were both breathing hard and everyone shot up from their seat and applauded. "I've never had standing ovation before," Troy whispered to Gabriella. She giggled and grabbed his hand. "Get used to it." She turned them around and they bowed then walked backstage.

"I'm on fire," Gabriella said, fanning herself. "I love that song."

"Reyna's on next," Sharpay said after she finished her song with the Twins and Leilani. "Let's see what she does."

"It'll probably bad," Leilani snarled.

"Or maybe even good," Gabriella said. "Give her a chance. C'mon, let's go to the audience."

"Okay, everyone welcome Reyna Petro dancing to _Without You _from Rent.

Reyna smiled as she strutted out on stage. She was wearing a jet-black dress that flapped out at the bottom which stopped just above her knees. It was kind of like a figure skating dress.

The music started and so did Reyna. Her body moved peacefully with the soft rhythm of the music. Everyone in the audience watched quietly. It was almost as if they were in a trance at how their eyes followed Reyna's every move.

When Reyna was done, everyone clapped wildly and cheered. Reyna bowed before walking off stage.

"Okay, so I stand corrected," Leilani muttered. "But still, she's still a bitch."

"I should say the same," Reyna said as she waltzed over to them. "You're just mad that I will win."

Leilani rolled her eyes. "That'll be the day."

"Was that song about your mom, Reyna?" Reva asked. Reyna's eyes lowered dangerously over at her. "I mean, because she's dying?"

"Reva," Gabriella hissed. Reva looked at Gabriella. "What? It's true." She turned back to Reyna and smirked. "What? You like saying that our father was a drug-addict when your mother is actually one? Maybe she'll actually die of it." Reyna's face actually showed an emotion. Her bottom lip quivered and she swallowed rigidly. Without a word, which was really uncharacteristic of her, Reyna twirled around and stomped off towards the dressing room.

"Reva, stop it!" Gabriella ordered. "What the hell is wrong with you? Imagine if our father was alive, but dying right now and Reyna said that. How would you feel?"

Reva shrunk back a bit. "She was asking for it. She knew her mom was a drug-addict, but called our dad one."

"It doesn't matter. No matter how bad Reyna is, that was wrong."

Reva sighed. "Well, fine. I'm sorry."

"You should say that to her." Gabriella tilted her head to Reyna who was walking out of the dressing room. Reva sighed and turned to her. "Okay, look. I'm sorry for saying all of that…stuff."

Reyna shrugged. "You know, I really don't care. See you at school tomorrow." Reyna smiled impishly before trotting out the back exit of the school. Reva crossed her arms and looked at Gabriella. Gabriella shrugged.

Rayline came into the room the next second and smiled warmly at everyone. "I got all of that on tape. That was so amazing and cute."

"Thanks, mami."

"Now it's Emil's turn," Reva said, turning to look at Emil. Emil looked up and smiled softly. "Well, when I get singing lessons, I'll get to you on that."

Reva smiled and pecked him on the cheek. Rayline grinned. "I feel so out of place," Selena whined. "I have no boyfriend."

"Oh, but mom does!" Gabriella exclaimed. "Where is he, mom?"

"Well, he's out in the audience actually. I want you all to meet him after the show."

"Oh, yeah, I can't wait!" Selena exclaimed. Reva calmed her then they walked to see who was performing. Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand and lead him into the dressing rooms. "That was a sneaky trick you pulled," Gabriella said. She gripped the collar of his shirt in both of her hand and pulled him closer to her. Troy smirked down at her before pressing his lips to hers.

"Okay, how about this?" Selena asked Maxine as she wrapped a pink, fluffy boa around her neck. "Like Edith would say, 'It's so fluffy!'"

Maxine laughed and put on her own boa. She also put on a huge hat that read Drop Dead Diva on the front. "I would always do this with my aunt. She baby-sat us a lot because our parents were always working and when she baby-sat us, we'd have fashion shows. But it all stopped when I turned fourteen and she passed away."

Selena frowned. "I'm sorry. It's hard to loose someone, isn't it?"

Maxine nodded and took the hat off. "Yeah, but let's not think about our losses. Here, try this thingy on."

"A corset? Hell no."

'Oh, come on. It makes you look sexy. You can try these fishnet stockings and knee-high boots on too."

"Did I or did I not just say no?"

Maxine pulled up a fake gun. "Oh, definitely. This'll go with the hooker look just perfectly."

"Max!" Maxine laughed and started searching for more stuff.

…

"You guys were really good," Oliver exclaimed, coming up to the girls. "I'm doing an article for people in the talent show. Mind a picture?"

"Not at all."

"Thanks." Oliver snapped a picture before running off to Troy and Leilani.

"Where's mom?" Selena questioned. Her sisters shrugged and looked around. Rayline was coming over to them with a man and a little girl clinging to his leg. The sisters all exchanged a glance.

"Hey, guys. How's it going?"

"Everything's fine," Selena said and Gabriella and Reva agreed.

Rayline smiled and nodded. "Good. Well, this is Owen Johnson and his little daughter Elena Johnson."

"I'm five," Elena announced, getting off of her father's leg.

"Hello," the girls said together. Reva, of course, stepped up and held out a hand. 'Hi, I'm Reva. Nice to meet you."

Owen grinned and shook Reva's hand. "Nice to meet you, too."

"I'm Gabriella," Gabriella said, stepping up as well. Selena stepped up next. "And I'm Selena."

"It's nice to meet all of you in person. Elena is especially excited."

"How about we all get to know each other at dinner. We're going to Applebee's," Rayline said. Reva started jumping. "I love Applebee's! Yay! I call shot-gun."

"No fair," Selena yelled, running after Reva.

"I'm taking Troy's truck, mom. Meet you there," Gabriella said. Rayline nodded and Gabriella quickly went to Troy's car. She screamed as she was pulled to the side of his car. "Shh," Troy cooed, placing his lips on her neck. Gabriella sighed. "I thought you were some crazy fan."

"Well, I am crazy for you. So, yeah, I'm a crazy…lover."

Gabriella giggled and hit his chest playfully. Troy pressed his lips to hers. Gabriella giggled against his lips before pulling away. Since he had her pushed against the car, they were still so close. She could feel the hotness of his breath and feel the warmth of his body. She closed her eyes softly and leaned her forehead against his. "I have something to give you," Troy whispered. Gabriella's eyes opened as Troy pulled away from her. He motioned for her to turn and Gabriella did.

Troy reached into his pocket and pulled out something before putting it around Gabriella's neck. Gabriella gasped and looked down at the necklace. It was the letter _T_ and a ruby red stone settled in the corner of it. Gabriella turned to Troy and smiled.

(HSM moment!) "T as in Troy?" Gabriella asked softly.

"Well, I—yeah," Troy said nervously. Gabriella giggled. "Well, it's beautiful." She pressed her lips to his before pulling open the truck door and hopping in. Troy looked dazed and thoughtful for a moment then got in the car himself.

"Troy, pull up at the house," Gabriella told him. Troy looked at her bemused, but pulled up into the drive way. Gabriella got out of the car and so did Troy. "What's wrong?"

**(Written By My Friend Bryanna. Warning M-Rated) **

"Nothing. Just come on. We'll meet everyone later." Gabriella opened the door to the house and walked in, Troy in tow behind her. She kept walking until they made it to her bedroom. "Troy," she whispered in the darkness. Troy came up closer to her and caged her with his arms. He pressed his forehead to hers and looked down at her silhouette. "Hm?"

"I need you."

"Are you sure?"

Gabriella nodded and pressed her lips to his. Troy reached behind her and opened the door and pushed them in. Gabriella moved back from the kiss and yanked his shirt off. Troy's fingers fumbled with Gabriella's zipper on her dress before pulling it down, her dress following in a pool at her ankles.

He carefully and stealthily picked Gabriella up and she broke the kiss and squealed lightly. Her shoes slipped off her feet and fell onto the hardwood floorboards. Gabriella grabbed Troy's face in her hands and kissed him again. "Troy, the light," she mumbled against his lips.

Troy fumbled around carefully before flipping the switch. Light illuminated the room and when Gabriella pulled away from the warmth of the kiss, she looked into Troy's eyes. His eyes shown nothing but compassion and love and tenderness and Gabriella felt her heart swell up. How had she gotten so lucky? I mean, some boys would've just wanted her for her fame or looks. But Troy looked as if he wouldn't care if she were ugly and fat and poor. He was really in love with her and she was in love with him.

"Sure you're ready?" Troy questioned her as he put her body down on the bed. He hovered over her and looked down at her. The way his blue eyes were so filled with love and care made her want this even more. "I'm more than ready," she whispered, raking her nails down his chest. "I'm ready for this."

Troy pushed Gabriella's body up so she was sitting against the headboard. Gabriella watched him with needy eyes. The way he smiled was sultry and sexy and it turned her on more. Sure, any time she was with a hot boy and they were kissing she would get a tingly feeling at the pit of her stomach, but this was something more. She pressed her legs together as she felt the juices start to flow slowly.

"Troy," she whined softly. "I need you now."

Troy pulled out a condom from his wallet. "My dad always tells me to carry one on me," Troy said discomfited. "You know, in case this happens."

Gabriella giggled and grabbed the condom from his hands. "Well, good. I'm glad you have one. Now…kiss me." Troy slipped his am around her waist and roughly pushed her against his chest. Gabriella didn't have time to breathe before he was pressing his mouth to hers and pushing his tongue into her mouth. Gabriella felt a deep moan rumble out of her mouth.

Her hands reached feebly behind her and she unclasped her bra. The push-up bra fell loosely around her arms. Troy's hands crawled up her arms and Gabriella felt her hair rise. He pulled her bra straps down and the next second her chest was bare.

Troy pulled back and looked down at her, admiring her nakedness. Gabriella felt her cheeks get warm and she covered herself with her arms. Troy grabbed her wrist and pulled her arms to his chest. "Don't," he whispered hoarsely. "I want to see you. Let me."

"It's embarrassing," Gabriella murmured, trying to move her arms back. Troy just held onto her more tightly.

Troy looked up in her eyes and Gabriella felt herself fall more into his heart. "Why are you embarrassed? Gabriella, I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you. You're perfect."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are." Troy lifted his hand and pushed tresses of black hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. Gabriella swallowed and nodded. "Okay, just go."

Troy grinned. "Eager?"

"Stop being a jackass," Gabriella whined. "Make love to me."

Troy smiled and pushed his lips to hers again. His hands toyed with her breast, cupping them in his bigger hands and seeing how they fit. He pulled back from her lips and moved sensually down her slender neck. Gabriella sighed and tilted her head to the side so he could find that one place that made her shudder under his touch.

Troy pinched her taunt nipple and Gabriella squirmed under him. "More, Troy," she begged him softly, running her fingers through his hair. Troy moved down from her neck, her collar bone, the swell of her breast and then to her pink, tight nipple. Gabriella gasped and arched her body into him as he started sucking. "Troy," she moaned.

Troy moved back and looked at the time. It was seven-thirty nine. "We have to hurry," he whispered. "Are you ready?"

Gabriella closed her hand around the condom. "Stop asking," she whispered back. "I'm ready." Just to prove her point, Gabriella reached down and started to unbuckle his belt. She pushed his pants and boxers down at the same time and her eyes widened as his erect friend popped up and out at her. She felt the sweat start to form and bleed. "Oh, wow."

Troy smiled and gave her a deep and passionate kiss. His fingers teased around her cotton covered vagina and Gabriella felt a sensation flaring across her abdomen and shooting downward. "You okay?" Troy asked as he watched her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was elaborate. "Touch me," she said, barely audible. She swallowed and opened her eyes to look at him. "Please."

"Touch you where?" Troy teased.

"Troy, no games. You know where." Her voice was stone-cold and she gave him a hard and desperate look. But Troy held his guard. He smirked. "No, I don't think I do know."

Gabriella thrusted her hips forward at his hand that was settled on her panties. "Troy," she cried out. "Please."

He moved to her ear and whispered softly, "Tell me."

"My pussy," she chocked out. Troy smiled, satisfied before he hooked his index fingers around the elastic of her panties and pulled them down. "I'll go slowly at first," he promised before pushing his middle finger into her wet tunnel knuckle deep.

Gabriella cried out in elation and her body formed into a complete arch. "Oh God," Gabriella gasped, getting used to the feeling of something other than a tampon entering her. Troy curled his finger then added another.

"Is it good?" Troy said to her, watching as her body jarred from his touch and thrust. Gabriella nodded slightly. "So good," she said. She strained to keep her eyes open and as she did, she looked up into Troy's deep blue pools and felt even more pleasure well up in her body. She lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist, grinding into him so he could go deeper. Her body tensed and she threw her head back. "Troy," she moaned. Her eyes shut tightly closed as waves of bliss poured over her body. Her walls closed around Troy's fingers and just as she was about to fall over the ledge, Troy removed his fingers.

Gabriella whimpered and gripped his wrist. She looked up at him in confusion. "I want your first orgasm to come from the big part," Troy said. Gabriella nodded and sat up on her elbows. She ripped the condom pack open before sliding the condom over Troy. Just that one little movement made him jump.

"One more time," Troy whispered, leaning down to her lips. "Are you sure?"

"After what just happened, I'd kill myself if this didn't happen now," Gabriella told him. "I just want to get the pain over with and go for the pleasure." She gripped the back of his neck and kissed him gently as he slid softly into her.

She could feel herself tearing and how her tightness pressed against Troy. Her eyes closed tighter as pain passed through her like a hollow wave. She moved back abruptly from the kiss and tried to catch her breath. "I'm sorry," Troy whispered. "If you want to stop—"

"Goddammit, Troy, if you stop I swear to God that I will never let you touch me again and visa versa," Gabriella threatened and Troy shut up. The wetness that bubbled from her a moment ago was still there and helped ease the pain, but it still hurt like hell.

A tear trailed slowly down her cheek. Troy bent down and kissed it away. "I'm sorry," he said again. He cradled her body close to his as if this would stop the pain.

And in a way it did. The pain subsided a bit and she could actually feel the pleasure as his shaft rode in and out of her. "Are you okay?" Troy asked.

"I am now. Move faster," Gabriella demanded hoarsely. Troy picked up his pace and Gabriella gripped at his hair. "God, baby, you're so tight," Troy grunted, guiding himself into her deeper and faster. Gabriella wrapped her other leg tight around his torso and dug her heels into his back. Troy groaned and increased his pace.

Gabriella could already feel the wave rushing back to her. Troy pressed his forehead to hers and they looked lovingly into each others eyes, both breathing hard. "I'm cumming," he groaned. He penetrated deeper into her and Gabriella moved her hips in rhythm with his.

"Almost there," Gabriella murmured, raking her nails down his muscular back. "I love you, Wildcat," she said. Troy nuzzled his nose with hers as both their peeks came crashing over. "I love you, too," he grunted as he let go and Gabriella came right after.

They laid together in the warm silence, just enjoying the presence of each other. Not soon after they both dozed off after.

…

"Troy, get up," Gabriella gasped sitting up. She felt wonderful and just wanted to stay in the bed with the one she loved, but it was almost eight-thirty and they've been gone for an hour.

Troy grunted and Gabriella giggled. "Don't grunt at me! Now get up! It's been an hour and we need to go."

Troy quickly sat up and started pulling on his shirt. Gabriella put on her bra and underwear before slipping into her dress and heels. "Hurry, Troy!"

Troy hopped into his pants, slipped his shoes on and zipped Gabriella up. They were out the door within twenty seconds. "What's the fastest way to Applebee's?" Gabriella asked.

"Um, it's actually two blocks down. We'll get there in like five minutes."

"Okay, good. What's our excuse?"

"Um…I have no idea."

"How about we got held up at the park. Um, there was this late night charity event for old people."

"Yeah, old people with cats," Troy said. "Oh, and wheelchairs that went one-hundred miles per hour and the wheelchair had cup hold—"

"Troy, Troy. I get it. Okay, is my hair sex-crazy or nice and curly?"

"Um…"

'Troy!"

"Okay, no. It looks incredibly like you had sex."

Gabriella groaned and started running her fingers through her hair. "I'll say that I fell. Okay, good. That should make us last."

"Your make-up is smudged…"

"I'll just say we made-out and that's what made us more late. Okay, we're here." Troy pulled up into a parking space and then they both jumped out of the car. As they did, Gabriella checked her missed calls. "Okay, I am so dead."

"May I help you?" the hostess asked.

"Um, we're here for people. Um…them." Gabriella pointed to her family and friends sat at a huge table. The hostess nodded and let them go by.

"What took you guys so long?" Rayline asked. "It's been autographs all night because we waited for you."

"We're sorry, mami," Gabriella said. "We got held up at the park. There was this charity for elderly people—"

"Who had cats and wheelchairs with boosters and cup hold—ow!" Troy rubbed his arm where Gabriella had pinched him. Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we got out the car to walk the rest of the way because you know how athletic Troy is. They pulled people off the streets asking them if they would be nice enough to join them and donate money. We stayed a bit and I wanted to drive in the car because my feet were killing me. We walked back to the car, um, and uh, made out and then drove here when we realized how late it was."

"How come you didn't answer our calls?" Reva asked, eyeing them both.

"They wanted all cell phones turned off and I forgot to turn mine back on. We're so sorry."

"Well, at least they're here," Selena said, smirking. "Let's order now. I'm starving."

…

"I have to go to the bathroom," Maxine said. "And Selena, Reva, Leilani and Gabriella have to go too. Let's go." Maxine quickly hurried them along to the bathroom. She turned to Gabriella. "Okay, spill."

Gabriella's hands became clammy. "Spill? Spill what?"

"What you and Troy really did," Leilani said. "There was no charity for elderly people tonight. I would've known. I'm always up to date with current events."

Gabriella sighed. "Okay, we…we had—"

"Oh my God, you had sex with my brother!" Leilani exclaimed. Gabriella quickly clasped a hand over her mouth. "Shut up!"

"Really?" Selena and Reva said at the same time.

"Hey, I'm older than you by two months," Maxine said. "I'm supposed to have my cherry popped first."

Gabriella laughed. "Well, now that my secret is out. Then yes, I did…do _it_ with Troy."

Reva suddenly squealed. "Do you know what that means? You're officially a woman! Isn't that great?"

"I mean, I still feel like a virgin. Just a very…used and loved one." Gabriella giggled. "If that makes any sense."

"That's how I felt when I lost my v-card," Leilani announced. "It was last year at the after party when we won state championships. I did it with Chad."

"Chad? Was Taylor and him together then?"

"No, he and Taylor broke up for a short period of time." Leilani sighed. "But then they got back together the next day. I felt so bad. I couldn't look at either of them."

"Does Taylor know?"

"No…and I can't tell her."

"Tell me what?" Taylor came into the bathroom. The girls all looked at each other, not sure what to say. "What?'

"Um…that Gabriella just had sex," Maxine quickly said. Leilani's body relaxed. Taylor looked at Gabriella. "With Troy?"

"Who else would she have sex with?' Reyna said, coming out the bathroom. She was smirking. Leilani started to tense up again. Reyna went to wash her hands. "You know, it's not good to lie to friends. Especially if the enemy knows the truth." Reyna looked at Leilani for a second before walking out of the bathroom.

"What was that all about?" Taylor asked.

"Nothing…let's go," Gabriella said quickly and they all walked out from the bathroom.

"Were you guys taking a dump or having really hot, kinky lesbian sex?" Chad asked. Troy spit out his drink and wiped his mouth. He turned to look at Troy. "What did you just say?"

"Daddy, what's hot, kinky lesbian sex?" Elena asked Owen. Owen cleared his throat. "Um, something you don't need to worry about."

"We weren't having…that," Gabriella said as they all sat down. "We were touching up our make-up."

'Doesn't look like it," Troy said. Gabriella stomped his foot and gave him a pointed look. He got it and nodded. "Oh, yeah. They did touch up their make-up. I can see the difference. They look prettier." All of them gave Troy looks and he shut up.

The rest of dinner went by smoothly. Well, except for Leilani. She and Taylor were best friends and if Reyna opens her big mouth to Taylor, they would be…ex-best friends. Leilani sighed.

After dinner, Troy, Leilani, Chad and Taylor all used Troy's truck to drive home while Rosie, Sammy, and the girls took the Escalade. Rayline, Elena and Owen took Rayline's Lamborghini.

"Is mom staying with us?" Reva asked Rosie. Rosie shook her head. "No, she's staying at a hotel really close to us though. We don't have enough room for Owen and Elena."

"I like Elena," Sammy said. "She said she liked how Yoda looks. She said he looks like a really fluffy bunny."

"Really?" Reva said. "Is she blind?"

"Shut up, Reva," Gabriella said. "I'm trying to listen to Cee Lo Green's _Fuck You_."

"Gabriella," Rosie warned. Gabriella giggled and she, Selena, Reva and Maxine sung along with the lyrics.

They pulled up at the house ten minutes later and all pilled out. "I'm going to sleep," Gabriella said after checking a text message. Maxine followed her. "What? Troy coming over so you guys can have sex again?"

"Shush," Gabriella said. Maxine peered over her shoulder to see the text and smirked. It read: _CUMING over 2 spank that hot ass. B there soon. _

"You guys are really disgusting," Maxine said. "Seriously, you just had sex and—"

"Shut up, Max. I'm not going to let him in." Gabriella smirked. "Come on; let's watch Rent, the best movie ever."

A little bit into the movie, there was a knock on Gabriella's balcony. Gabriella looked at Maxine to see her sleep. She smiled and went to her balcony. "Be quiet," she said unlocking the door. "Max is sleep."

Troy shrugged and pulled off his shirt. "That's fine. Now, let's snuggle."

Gabriella giggled and jumped into her bed. Troy came right in after and pulled her body close to his. "I bet Justin Bieber never did this to you."

"What Justin and I did is none of your business," Gabriella said, smiling extensively. Troy smirked then bent down and pressed a hard, long kiss to her lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and let it caress her own. Gabriella suppressed a moan as Troy lifted himself up so he was straddling her and his hard-on pressed into her.

She moved her hips around and looked up longingly at him. "God, baby," Gabriella groaned. Troy smirked and leaned down to her neck. He gently trailed butterfly kisses all over her neck then found that special place that made Gabriella whither and moan.

So she wouldn't make any noise, she pulled his head back up to her and kissed him. His hard-on just dug deeper into her and Gabriella felt herself get tremendously turned on. She pulled back and gasped. Troy rolled off of her and smirked at her.

"Let's just snuggle," Gabriella said breathlessly and wrapped her arms around him.


	14. Monkeys!

Chapter 14:

Monkeys!

**I had no title for this chapter so I put something random (:**

**I'm working on Chapter 15 and 16. I'll try and get it to you guys soon but for now enjoy!  
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It was finally Halloween. East High always had a party on Halloween. The theme would be a costume party and there would be a king and queen. Whoever has the most unique costume will either be a king or queen.

"Okay, this sucks," Reva groaned. "Why can't they just throw a crown at Troy and a tiara at Gabriella? Everyone knows they're going to win even if their costumes aren't unique. They're the sweethearts of the school. They're the Golden Couple."

"I won't take it if that's the case," Gabriella said. "I play fair and that's not fair. How about this?" Gabriella held up her creation. She had gotten a long, golden stick that had arms coming out of it. Selena shrugged off her cardigan and placed it on one of the arms. "Looks like a coat rack."

"It is," Gabriella said. "I'm going to go as one."

Maxine laughed and put down her hat that had a face on it. "That totally beats out the competition."

"Knock, knock, knock," a voice said from behind Gabriella and Maxine's closed bedroom door. Gabriella grinned and opened the door. Troy came waltzing in. But…it actually wasn't Troy. It was Infinity. Like the sign for infinity. "Okay…wow," Gabriella muttered. "It'll be hard to hug you and kiss you."

"I'm sure it can work," Troy said. He bent down and gave her a peck on the lips then walked over to her bed and sat on it. "Where's Leilani?" Selena asked.

"Um…she's a bit scared to come up."

"Why? What is she?"

"A watermelon with no face. It makes her look bloated."

"I so heard that, Bolton and I am going to squash you!" Leilani came into the room, well, squeezed herself through the door. "How can you see?" Maxine asked. "There are no eye holes."

"Yeah there is, you just can't see them," came Leilani's muffled voice. Maxine gave her thumbs up before going back to her costume. Gabriella sighed. "Now I want to be a proportional to sign."

"No, no, I like your idea," Troy said. "A coat rack…if you put a hat over it, it looks like a pussy coming onto a dick."

Gabriella gasped and threw a marker at him while everyone else laughed. "Troy! What's with the polluted language?"

"Polluted?"

"Don't question my wording," Gabriella huffed. Troy grinned and gave her another peck. "I'm sorry, babe."

"Where's Emil?" Reva asked, now wanting to be with her boyfriend.

"You'll be surprised when you see what he is," Leilani muttered. "He was just getting some cookies from the cookie jar. He should be here right about…now."

The door opened and Emil stepped in. He was…he was…no one really knew what he was. Green and brown stuff oozed from two thin pieces that looked like flesh off his costume. "What…the…hell," Reva breathed. Emil grinned. "Yes, look at my disgusting glory. I am what you call…pus."

"Ew, you're dressed as pus?" Selena shrieked.

"It's so like him," Maxine commented.

"Guys, look, I got a costume." Reva stood up and showed her costume. It was a long, twisting ladder of blue and red. "It's DNA."

"Well, you both did something out of he human body," Selena said. "Just don't come with a penis or vagina."

"How about balls," Troy said and everyone looked at him.

Gabriella shook her head. "No genitals, babe," she said.

"When does this thing start?" Selena asked.

"It starts at seven," Leilani clarified. "What's your costume?"

"A pile of disks." She shrugged. "Okay, I'm going to see how this thing works." Selena quickly left the room with her costume. Reva left after her to change, too. Gabriella just slipped on the long, golden tube and put her arms through. "This feels weird." Maxine pulled off her fedora hat and placed it on Gabriella's costume. "You know, you should dress like this more."

Gabriella hit her then walked over to Troy. "I'm hating this costume now."

"Whoever is king and queen has to sing," Leilani said. "So Gabriella, Troy, get your voices ready."

"You don't even know if it's going to be us," Gabriella said. "It could be Reva and Emil."

"Emil can't sing," Emil said. "It should be Reva and Leilani since Leilani is a boy." Emil screamed as Leilani flopped onto him. He was now crushed under her and her costume. "I might use this more often."

…

"Okay, one, two, three!" They all pushed at Leilani's costume and she finally made it through the school doors. "How much watermelon have you had?" Maxine said.

"I can't look at you," Reva said. "I love watermelon and I'm afraid I might eat you." Reva hid behind one of her red lines. They all hurried to the gym.

"Welcome, everyone to our sixth annual Halloween Bash!" Sandra Honors, a senior said into the microphone. "If you want to show off your costume, come up here and show us what you got! After we will all vote to see who our king and queen is."

People started crowding into a line by the stage. A freshman was up first. She stepped onto the stage dressed as a marker. Next was another freshman dressed up as a zipper. Then it was Sketcher's turn. He bounced onto the stage dressed up as…well, no one really knew. It was mixed kind of with a mouse, girl, soccer ball, and TV.

"I know who will win," Reyna said. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a bunch of cards with her name on it. She handed it to Sketcher. "Send these in. A lot of them have your name on them, too," she lied. Sketcher grinned and bounced off to the ballet box.

"I don't get what's so excited about winning," Gabriella said from behind her. Reyna turned and glared. "Well, since Troy and I will be winning, I just wanted to try something up there with him."

"You better not do anything," Gabriella snarled, suddenly angry. Reyna smiled before trotting off.

"C'mon, everyone's dancing," Reva said, pulling Gabriella to the dance floor. "Don't let Reyna get to you." Reva looked at Reyna and narrowed her eyes. "She's a bitch, but she wants you to be a bitch back to her so people won't like you."

"I don't care what people think," Gabriella said. "I mean, I would care if no one liked me, but I don't care what Reyna thinks. I just don't want her anywhere near my boyfriend."

"Okay, did everyone vote?" Sandra said into the microphone. "Okay, good. Let's see who won. For our king we have…" Sandra opened the card and smiled. "Troy Bolton!"

Everyone cheered as Troy came up on stage and accepted his crown. Sandra smiled at him. "Okay, so our queen is…" she opened the card, but didn't smile. "Um, Reyna Petro." A few people cheered. Sketcher stood by the ballet box, mouth open wide. "What? But…she had said…"

She took the microphone forcefully from Sandra. "You guys are too kind," Reyna said, snatching the tiara away from the sophomore holding it. She placed it gently on her head and grinned. "At first I thought it'd be Gabriella who'd win, but I guess not." Reyna twirled in her fairy dress and smiled. "So, the winners are supposed to sing, but I think I should do something better than sing." Reyna's eyes gleamed with mischief. She turned to Troy and grabbed his face. She pressed her lips hard to his and everyone gasped, especially when Troy didn't try to pull away. In fact, Reyna was the one to end the thirty second kiss. "See, Gabriella? I told you I would do more." Reyna grinned before walking off stage and towards Gabriella who was shocked.

"I'm sorry, did I upset you, movie star?"

Gabriella could feel the corners of her eyes tingle, but she refused to cry. Instead she held her head high and shook her head. "No, you didn't. I just…I just have to go to the bathroom." Gabriella turned and left, wishing Troy would come after her and say that the kiss meant nothing and that he wanted to pull away. But as Gabriella walked around the isolated hallway and heard no one coming after her, she started crying.

"Gabriella!" Maxine, Leilani, Reva, Selena and Taylor all came barreling to her. Leilani was out of her costume and crouching down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"That kiss didn't mean anything to Troy," Selena said. "He was probably just shocked."

"Didn't seem like it," Gabriella mumbled, standing up. "But it doesn't matter what you say. What matters is if Troy comes out of the gym and says it didn't matter himself."

"But you seen the look on his face," Taylor said. "He _was _shocked."

Gabriella all of a sudden felt frustrated. "It doesn't matter if he was shocked! He should've pulled away."

"Troy has a tendency of messing things up," Leilani said. "But I know he wouldn't mess up this relationship because he loves you."

Gabriella sighed. "Look, I'm going home. I'll talk to you guys later."

"Gabriella," Maxine said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Gabriella shook her head and walked out of the school.

Reyna had kissed Troy and Troy hadn't come after Gabriella. Gabriella hadn't even left the parking lot. She just lounged in her car, looking down at her phone. It's been thirty minutes and Troy hadn't even called.

_R u still at the party? _Gabriella sent him. When he didn't answer her text she dialed his number.

It went straight to voice mail. "Hi, this is Troy. If this is Gabriella, I'm sorry I can't get to the phone, but I love you! Oh, and if this is my family, you guys are okay.

"I love you, too, Troy," Gabriella whispered then drove off. Messing with her mood, the rain slowly pelted and surrounded her car. She sighed and pulled up at a bar.

She had never drunk before, but she felt a sudden urge to. Gabriella climbed out of the car and took her costume off. It left her only in her see-through cami and short denim shorts. Gabriella sighed and walked vigilantly to the bar. When she opened the door, she was met by loud hollers and cheers. "That was a foul!" a big man yelled at the TV. "That was a fucking foul! You suck, Lebron!"

"That was not a foul," another big guy argued.

"What do you think?' the other man turned to look at Gabriella as she crept her way over. "Do you think it's a foul or not."

Gabriella smiled and looked at the TV. "Um, yeah, it's definitely a foul." The man whooped while the other one glared and stomped off. The man turned to Gabriella and smiled. "I'm Ketch," the man said. "Hey, aren't you Gabriella Montez?"

Gabriella grinned. "No, I'm Ella Boston. But I do look like her," Gabriella lied. She wasn't going to tell him who she was. She wanted a drink and when she was Gabriella Montez, she was underage. But Ella Boston was twenty-two. "You want a drink?' Ketch said. Gabriella nodded and watched as Ketch brought her a drink.

"It's strong," he warned her. "Are you sure?"

"Never been surer." Gabriella grinned at him before brining the glass to her lips and chugging down the drink. She had only drunk twice in her life. The taste burnt her throat and it tasted weird.

"It's good," Gabriella lied. "Mind buying me another?"

Ketch smirked and nodded. The rest of the night flew on and Gabriella knew she was drunk for the first time in her life.

Gabriella climbed onto the bar and started a conga line. Since she couldn't walk in a straight line, they all crashed to the ground laughing. "Yo, Ketch, get me another drink!" Gabriella stood and plopped down on a bar stool. "You know, I have this really amazing boyfriend. But guess what…some other girl kissed him and he didn't turn away."

"What's his name?" Ketch said. "We'll beat him up for you."

Gabriella waved that comment away. "No, no, it's okay. But you know the jacked-up thing? He didn't come after me. I thought he said he loved me. I even gave him my virginity! I mean, I gave him everything and he just left me alone."

Ketch hugged her. "There's a party down by the beach. How about we go together."

Gabriella looked thoughtful for a moment before she nodded. "Bye, guys! Nice meeting you."

"Bye, Ella."

Ketch guided Gabriella to his motorcycle. "I could get busted, Gabriella."

"Ketch, I told you, I am not Gabriella, I am Ella. Ella is allowed to drink." Ketch chuckled and handed Gabriella a helmet. She snapped it on before climbing on the back of the motorcycle and wrapping her arms around his waist.

They sped off down the road and to the party.

…

"This is your entire fault!" Leilani accused Troy. "If you would've just gone after her, she'd be here."

"I'm confused, okay," Troy said.

"Confused about what? Reyna? Don't say that, Troy. You love Gabriella, not Reyna."

"But I loved Reyna first," Troy said. He sounded incredibly like a little kid who was scared. "And…I don't know if those feelings are gone yet."

"Troy, Reyna used you! Gabriella gave everything to you and you think you have feelings for Reyna still?" Leilani shook her head. "You're pathetic. Talk to me when you get you brain back."

Troy sighed and sunk low in his seat. Chad came into the room. "You really messed up big time, bro."

"Don't you think I know that, Chad? I really love Gabriella, but I really loved Reyna too."

"Loved or love?"

Troy sighed and buried his head in his hands. "This is my fault. Gabriella could be getting raped now."

…

"I don't know…" Gabriella looked skeptical at the drug. She may be drunk, but she would never in her life take weed. Ketch sighed. "C'mon, Gabriella. Just one. Only one and no more."

Gabriella sighed before sitting down and taking the weed stick. It felt dry and nasty against her lips, but she held it there. She watched as other people did cocaine and meth. "Here." Ketch took the fag from her. "Take a cigarette. You look like you're about to pass out."

Gabriella took the cigarette and placed it in her mouth. Ketch turned on his lighter and pressed it to the end of the cigarette. Gabriella quickly removed the cigarette and coughed. "God, that's strong." She placed the cigarette back into her mouth.

"It's still good," Ketch said, sniffing his lines. He sat back up and drunk a huge gulp of beer. "Want to dance?"

"Let me finish," Gabriella demanded hoarsely. She pulled out the cigarette and blew a puff of smoke out. Ketch grinned and grabbed it from her. He placed it in his own mouth before standing up. "Let's dance."

Gabriella stood up also. They moved to the dance floor as the music started to play. "I love this song," Gabriella announced, now happier. As she danced against Ketch, she took the cigarette from him and placed it back into her mouth. Ketch moved his hands down to her stomach and through her shorts. Gabriella smiled and grinded against him.

"Can I get another?" Gabriella asked as she flicked the cigarette away. Ketch shook his head. "I'm all out. Hey, I think it's time to take you home. It's already two in the morning."

"Take me back to your place," Gabriella begged. "My place is full of people I don't want to talk to. Plus, I'm drunk and high right now." Gabriella grinned. "I promise I'll be good."

Ketch smiled. "Fine, but we're not fucking."

"Why not? Most boys would want to."

"Because I'm actually nice and won't take advantage of you. In fact, you won't remember half the things we did tonight when you wake in the morning."

Ketch took her to a small apartment building. They walked to his apartment and Gabriella fell to his bed and moaned. "I feel sick." She stood abruptly and ran for the bathroom. Ketch held her hair back as she threw up. When she was done, she laid her cheek on the toilet seat and fell asleep. "Okay, let's go."

…

"She better be okay," Reva said. "Or else I'll cut Troy's dick off."

"She probably is," Selena said. "Maybe she's lost."

"Troy is so dead," Maxine said. The girls agreed. Rosie came into the room. "Okay, guys, go to sleep. I'm handling everything. I'll talk to you in the morning. Hopefully we'll have something."

…

Troy pulled out his phone. Gabriella had sent him a text eight hours ago at eight-fifty six. It was now four-fifty six and she was no where to be found. Troy sighed and tried to call her.

Voice mail. Not a good sign.

…

"Oh, God," Gabriella groaned, rolling over.

"Well, I'm glad you're awake." Ketch grinned. "You've been gone for…fifteen hours at the least. I think you should go home."

"Ketch? My god, my breath stinks." Gabriella sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "Last night is blurry. I remember coming to the bar, meeting you and then leaving to the party. Nothing else."

Ketch grinned and handed her some aspirin and water. "We didn't have sex, so be lucky. But, you did take a fag and a cigarette."

"You let me smoke weed?"

"You could've said no."

"Ketch, I was intoxicated!"

"Well, so was I. Now, come on. I have to drive you back home."

"Oh, yippee," Gabriella said sarcastically. She slipped off the bed and put her shoes back on. "Here's the story. I found you walking in the streets alone and you were drunk."

"Stop talking loud," Gabriella complained. "And why do I have to be drunk?"

"Because you have a major hangover. Anyway, you only had a few drinks. Like five. I let you get on my motorcycle and you fell asleep while on it. I took you my place so you can sleep and because I didn't know where you lived. Also, you lost your phone."

Gabriella dug into her pocket. "But it's right here."

Ketch took it from her. "No, it's right here. Now get you ass up and let's roll."

"What did I say about talking loud?"

Ketch rolled his eyes. "A lot of things you say just goes through one ear and out the other."

Gabriella grinned at him. "You're such a jackass."

"But you love me. Okay, so my number is right here." Ketch handed her his number and grinned. "Call me anytime."

Gabriella smiled and stuffed the number into her pocket. "I won't call, but thanks. I actually rode on this thing?" Gabriella watched as Ketch brought two helmets off his motorcycle. He gave one to Gabriella before climbing on. "I'm stupid," she muttered and climbed on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his torso and held on tightly.

…

"I really think I shouldn't go in there," Gabriella said. Ketch sighed and unhooked Gabriella's arms from around him. "You have to. Now go."

Gabriella sighed and got off the motorcycle. She handed him back his helmet. "Okay. Thanks and bye."

Ketch nodded. "See you later, Ella." Then he rode off down the street. Gabriella turned and walked slowly to the porch. She rung the doorbell and Rosie instantly answered. "Did you find—Gabriella?"

"In the flesh," she said hoarsely. Rosie squealed and hugged her. "My God, I was so worried about you! We thought something bad happened!"

"Gabriella!" Her sisters and Maxine came running down the steps. Sammy was in tow behind them. "I've never felt more relieved to see my sister," Selena said, hugging Gabriella tightly. "Where were you?"

"Lost and under the influence. And if it weren't for Ketch, I'd probably be dead."

Rosie ushered her into the house and they all sat down on the couches. "Who's Ketch? And what do you mean dead?"

"Well, Ketch is the one who picked me up from the streets. I was drunk but I only had like five beers. Anyway, while he was driving me, I fell asleep and he didn't know where I lived so he took me to his place. And I lost my phone."

"So nothing happened?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No. But I do look a mess, don't I?"

Sammy nodded. "Yoda was worried. He thought that his mommy ate you."

Gabriella smiled. "Well, I'm glad that didn't happen."

"Mom wants to talk to you," Reva said, pulling out her phone. "Seriously, this woman called like one hundred times asking where you were."

"What about Troy?" Gabriella asked, taking the phone from Reva. "Did he call?"

"No, but he locked himself in his room," Selena said. "Are you going to talk to him?"

"Of course I will. Just let me rest. This is my first ever hangover." Gabriella stood up and walked silently up to her room. Maxine pulled out her own cell. "I'll call Leilani and Troy."

"But I thought Gabriella was going to."

"It's better if we do it now." Maxine waited as the phone rung. Leilani picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"She's here," Maxine said. There was shuffling then Leilani spoke in a soft whisper. "Gabriella? She's back? Okay, I'm on my way."

"I'm coming too," Maxine heard Troy say. Leilani groaned. "You're the one who caused this!"

"I know and that's why I'm coming. I'm going to fix it."

"Okay, okay. Maxine, we'll be there in five."

"No. She has a huge hangover. Come in a few hours."

"Okay. See you then?"

"Yeah." Maxine hung up the phone and walked slowly to her and Gabriella's bedroom. Gabriella was passed out on the bed. She had taken her shorts and cami off and replaced them with an over-sized t-shirt. Maxine sighed and picked up her clothes. As she picked up the shorts though a paper fell out of Gabriella's pocket and Maxine bent and picked it up.

"A number…" Maxine quickly dumped the shorts into a hamper then went for her phone. She quickly dialed the number and waited for the person to pick up. "Talk to me," a gruff voice said. Maxine gasped and stumbled on her words. "Uh, um, is this Ketch?"

"Maybe…who is this?"

"I know Gabriella. We're friends."

"Well, in that case, yes this is Ketch."

Maxine sat down. "Did you do anything to Gabriella? Because she looked a hot mess and smelled like smoke."

"That's because my apartment smells like smoke," Ketch said. "But I promise nothing happened. I saw her walking in the street. She looked bad. I was just doing the right thing."

"How come you didn't call the police?" Maxine said. She was unaware of Gabriella slowly waking up.

"I wanted to take her home first."

"You know, Ketch. I have this really bad feeling that you're lying."

"Why the hell are you talking to Ketch?" Gabriella sat up and snatched the phone away from Maxine. "What I said was true. Nothing happened."

"Gabriella, you come home looking like crap, you smell like weed and you were drunk while this unknown man who could be a serial killer tried to take care of you."

"He did take care of me. Why can't you just leave this alone?"

"Because you could've been seriously hurt."

"Well I'm not." Gabriella sighed. "Just leave it alone."

"Just tell me the _truth_. Did he do anything to you, Gabriella?"

"No," Gabriella answered. Maxine sighed when she saw the truth swarming in her eyes. But she knew what Gabriella had told her wasn't the truth. "Was the story you told us true?"

Gabriella hesitated. "Yes."

The hesitation said it all. Maxine got up and ended the call. "Gabriella, what happened? I promise not to tell."

Gabriella leaned her head back on the headboard. Her head really didn't hurt as much as it did a minute ago. But it still hurt. "Nothing happened," she said lowly. Maxine came over and sat down on the bed. "Please tell me. I won't tell anyone. Not even the police."

"No matter how bad it is?"

Maxine nodded. "No matter how bad it is, I promise not to tell."

Gabriella sighed and sat up more. "I stayed in the parking lot for like thirty minutes then I tried calling Troy. It went straight to voice mail so I left to this bar. I just wanted to drink away the problems like a lot of people do. At the bar I met Ketch. He's really nice, not some pervert who tried to get into my pants. Anyway, that's when this journey began. I got really, really drunk. Like, no where near five drinks. Way more than that. Ketch and I went to this beach party and I…I smoked weed and a cigarette."

"What?"

"I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing. I don't remember what happened after that. I think we went to his place and I crashed. But nothing except for the weed and drinking happened."

"Gabriella…" Maxine pulled Gabriella in for a hug. "You are one stupid bitch."

Gabriella pulled back and smiled softly. "Yeah, I guess I deserve that name."

"Troy and Leilani are coming over soon," Maxine said a few minutes later. Gabriella groaned and went to lie back down. "You have to talk to him soon."

"I know, I know, but I don't want to. What if the things he says will break my heart?"

"Then everyone will want to kill him. He won't pick Reyna over you. I promise."

Gabriella sat up again. "You don't know that."

"Yeah I do. Now get some rest. I'll be back soon." Maxine left the room and closed the door behind her. Gabriella sat up and reached her hand in her pocket for her phone. When she found nothing but lint and air she sighed. Ketch had her phone. Great.

…

About an hour later Leilani and Troy showed up. "You do hangovers really well," Selena told Gabriella. "I mean, does your head even hurt?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No." She looked up as Leilani came in and smiled. "Hey, Lei."

Leilani quickly hugged her then pulled back. "Hey, I was so worried about you. Maxine told me what happened."

Gabriella smiled and her eyes flicked to the archway for a second. Troy just came into the room and he looked absolutely miserable. "Gabriella, can we talk?"

Gabriella sighed. "Not something I'm looking forward to, but okay. Let's talk." Gabriella followed him up to her room and closed the door behind him. Troy sat awkwardly on her bed and sighed.

"Where do you want to start?" he asked, looking at Gabriella.

"How about how I reacted," Gabriella suggested. "It was a little overdramatic and stupid, but this is just so weird for me. I've only had one boyfriend and people like Reyna weren't there to mess it up."

Troy nodded. "I get it. But Reyna wasn't the only one who messed it up. I kissed her back and I didn't pull away. I just wanted to see something."

"See what?"

"I wanted to see if I was still in love with her."

Gabriella swallowed. Her fingers twisted together nervously. "And what was your result?"

Troy smiled. "You, Gabriella. You'll always be my result. In fact, I have no idea why I was even in love with Reyna before."

Gabriella smiled and went to sit next to him. "Did you watch my movie Pink Friday? There was a girl in there exactly like Reyna. Bitchy and manipulative. Every boy fell into her trap and then the one who was dating her got smart and figured out her mask."

Troy chuckled and hugged her. "Can you tell me what happened to you? I don't think I can believe what Leilani told me."

Gabriella grinned and nodded at him. "Yeah, just hold up." Gabriella got up out of her spot and to the door. She yanked it open and everyone fell through. "Hey, guys."

"It was Rosie's plan," Reva said. Gabriella shook her head and turned to Troy. "C'mon. We're going to the park."

That paps weren't anywhere in sight like usual as Troy and Gabriella drove to the park. Except for maybe twenty people the park was empty and Gabriella was thankful. She found them a spot under a huge willow tree. Troy sat down first then Gabriella got into his lap. "Want to tell me now?"

"Yeah. But don't get mad. I didn't have my brain."

"That doesn't sound too good."

"Okay, well, first I stayed in the parking lot for like thirty minutes then I called you. Your phone went straight to voice mail and I got mad. So I drove to the bar—which reminds me, I need to pick up my car—and I met this guy named Ketch. I got really drunk then he took me to this beach party. There I…I did something."

Gabriella felt Troy tense behind her. "What did you do? Did you…you know?"

"No," Gabriella said quietly. "I took one fag and a cigarette."

"What? You smoked weed?"

"Shut up before someone hears you! And it was once, Troy! Plus, I was drunk and had no idea what I was doing."

"And you think Ketch is nice?"

"He is. Besides that he took really good are of me."

"Yeah, that makes me so much happier."

Gabriella stood up and glared down at troy. "Well at least I didn't kiss or have sex with him."

"Gabriella…"

"No, since you don't trust me, I'm going to go home," Gabriella said stubbornly. She went to walk away, but Troy grabbed her wrist gently and tugged her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I do trust you I just don't trust any other guy around you. Especially one that let's you smoke weed."

Gabriella sighed and leaned into his touch. "I'm sorry, Troy," she murmured.

"For what? This is my fault. After Reyna kissed me and said that to you I told her off then went to the gym and shot some hoops. It's what I do when I'm angry."

Gabriella was quiet for a moment before she stood. "There's a basketball court over there. Wanna play?"

"Against you? Gabriella, I'd cream you."

"You are such a sexist jerk. Now c'mon. I want to play before someone comes." Gabriella pulled him up (with a lot of effort) and then they ran off to the court. Troy picked up the ball that was sitting silently by the basket. "I'll go easy on you," he promised her before bouncing the ball to her. Gabriella caught it and went for the basket, but Troy grabbed the ball from her hands.

"Hey, you cheated!"

"Then I guess all the professional ball players cheat," Troy said, smirking. Gabriella rolled her eyes and snatched the ball from him. She started running around the court and Troy chased after her. "Come on, Brie. You're cheating big time." He stopped and to catch his breath. "Damn your fast."

Gabriella giggled and went for the basket again. It circled the rim for a second before falling in. "Yeah!" Gabriella squealed. "You okay, old man?"

"What did you just call me?" Troy stood up straight and started running after her. Gabriella laughed and took off into a sprint. Troy eventually caught her somewhere near the woods. He pinned her to the ground and smirked down at her. "You okay, old woman? You look battered up."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes at him then leant up. She licked his cheek. "Okay, what's with the licking?"

"You were supposed to let go of my hands to wipe my spit off your face," Gabriella said. Troy smiled. "Why? We basically share saliva everyday when we kiss."

"Just get off of me." Troy stood up then helped Gabriella up. "Can you take me to Cold Stones? I want some ice cream right now."

Troy smiled and turned his back to Gabriella. He crouched a bit then said, "Get on." Gabriella climbed onto his back and squealed lightly when he stood up and started a fast pace run. "Aren't I heavy?"

"No," Troy said. He didn't sound at all winded. "You're lighter than Leilani and she's small. But hold on just in case I drop you." Troy picked up his pace and Gabriella held onto him tighter. He only slowed down when they were in sight to a lot of people. "You okay?' Gabriella asked, caressing his hair. Troy nodded and let her down.

Paparazzi noticed them and started taking pictures. "Gabriella, Gabriella, look here! "Troy, how's it going?" How'd they know Troy's name? Gabriella basically pulled Troy into the shop. "How do they know my name?" Troy said as they walked in line. Gabriella shrugged and pulled out her wallet. "What do you want?"

Troy took her wallet and money and stuffed them back in her pocket. "I should be asking you. I'll pay."

"Troy, I have thousands of ten dollar bills. I'll pay."

Troy waved her off and walked forward. "Hello," the clerk said nicely. "How may I help you?"

"Um, what do you want?" Troy said, looking to Gabriella.

"I'll have vanilla ice cream with snickers, M&M's and whipped cream."

"I'll have the same."

"Small, medium, or large?"

"Medium."

The clerk smiled and nodded before walking to make the ice cream. When they got their orders they walked out of the store hand in hand. "Can I meet your parents?" Gabriella asked. "I never got to yet."

Troy nodded. "Yeah, but they aren't something to be excited about."

"Don't say that about your parents. I'm sure they're great."

"Only when they buy me stuff," Troy joked. Gabriella hit him playfully before climbing into the car. "You're just mean."

"Is that code for you're sexy and amazing at sex?"

"No, it's code for you're an arrogant bastard."

Troy wiped at a fake tear. "I am offended, Gabriella."

Gabriella patted his cheek and smiled. "Yeah, but you still love me."

"Yeah, I do." Troy pulled up into the drive way and parked the car. Gabriella got out and walked into the house. "What took you guys so long?" Selena asked. "We thought you guys killed each other."

"No. We talked, played basketball and went to Cold Stones."

"Ooh, did you get me anything?" Reva asked, jumping out of her seat. Gabriella smirked and shook her head. "Nope, sorry sis."

"Emil says high on facebook," Leilani announced.

"Where is Emil anyway?" Reva asked.

"Cleaning dog shit," Troy answered. "Since he didn't want to clean the dishes he cleans up dog shit around town."

"Moxie doesn't want her dog poop to be called that," Maxine said, covering Moxie's ears.

"Does Yoda have dog shit?" Sammy said.

"Sammy!" Maxine scolded. "Don't say that word! It's bad."

"Sorry. Does Yoda have dog _poop_?"

"No, he has tarantula sh—poop," Troy said.

"Hey, when's the fair?" Selena asked.

"In a month," Leilani answered. Rosie entered the room with a bag full of dirt. "Okay, whose turn is it to clean the pool?"

"My turn," Selena said, hopping up. She ran outside to the pool with Leilani following. "Whose turn is it to do the dishes?"

"Gabriella's turn," Reva said. Gabriella groaned and went to the kitchen. "That's what you get for not buying me any ice cream!"

"Shut up, Reva."

Troy went into the kitchen after Gabriella. When she was up against the sink, he caged her in his arms. Gabriella pressed a kiss to his lips and troy grinned. "Want me to help?"

"Duh. Here, you can wash while I dry." Gabriella ducked out of his arms and went to the drying rack.

"Why do I have to get my hands wrinkled?" Troy complained. "I like smooth."

"I'll give you a _special_ treat if you do it," Gabriella said. Her voice was sultry and edgy. Troy grinned and went to washing. "I would've done it anyway," Troy told her. "Not just for sex."

"Yeah well we'll both have something to enjoy," Gabriella replied. As Troy washed an idea formed in his head. "Hey, Gabriella?"

"Hm?"

Troy turned to her and flicked some soap suds into her face. Gabriella gasped. "You bastard." She reached for the sprayer and squirted Troy. "There, now we're even."

"Oh, no. I don't think so." Troy grabbed the sprayer from her and started squirting her. Gabriella squealed. "Sammy, I need back-up!"

Sammy came barreling into the room. "Water gun?" Gabriella nodded and Sammy left the room. He came back in seconds later with a massive water gun. "Say hello to my little friend," he said to Troy then started shooting. Troy pointed the sprayer at Sammy and that's how the water fight began.

Reva, Selena and Sammy fought with Gabriella while Leilani fought with Troy.

"I got water bombs," Reva said and she and Gabriella started pelting them at Troy and Leilani. Selena and Sammy used water guns while Troy and Leilani used water from the hose and sprayer.

In the end, they all raised their flags. "I'm soaking wet," Sammy exclaimed. "You okay, Yoda?" He pulled out Yoda and started petting him.

"I got some bananas—" Rosie stopped in her tracks as she walked into the kitchen. Water was everywhere, the backdoor was open with the hose leaking in and everyone was wet. "Do I want to ask?"

"It was Troy's fault," Gabriella insisted. "He flicked me with bubbles first and then…this happened."

"Why is my kitchen always targeted?"

"Because it has a lot of water," Sammy said. "Ew, Yoda! You got your dog shit on me!"

"_¡__Dios M__í__o!_" Rosie said. "Sammy, what'd you just say?"

"That Yoda got his dog poop on me…they taught it to me!"

"Okay, okay, I need a nap." Rosie walked out of the room and everyone started laughing. Gabriella picked up the last water balloon and hit Troy with it. "You hit me first so I hit you last."

Troy leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "You kissed me first so I kiss you last."

"Aw, you guys make me sick," Reva said. She stood up and squirted them both with a water gun. "See you. Have to finish cleaning the pool out."

"Reva, one day I'm going to shove your words down you mouth," Gabriella promised. Reva flipped her off before trotting off towards the pool. Gabriella shook her head and stood. "Who wants to come to the carnival with us? There's one in the parking lot of the mall."

"I wanna come!" Reva said, coming back in the house. "I'm sure the pool can wait."

…

"We should go on the merry go round!" Sammy exclaimed. "Yoda wants to go on too. I have more votes so we go on."

"Yes, Sammy, two is more than six."

"But since Yoda has eight legs each of his legs counts. So we actually have ten votes. Sorry." Sammy shrugged before running to the merry go round.

"I'll get on," Gabriella said. "I love the merry go round."

"Ooh, I'll get on it too," Selena said. Sammy, Gabriella, and Selena all ran off to the merry go round.

"I'm getting funnel cake," Troy said. "Anyone wants something?"

"I want a pretzel," Leilani said. Reva seconded that and Maxine thirded it. Troy walked off to the concession stand. "Oh my God, it's so weird seeing you here."

Troy turned and was met by Reyna. "Oh…hi, Reyna."

"Whoa, down boy. Don't be so enthusiastic," Reyna said. She smiled up at him. "What are you doing here? You alone?"

"No. I'm here with my girlfriend, sister and friends."

"Girlfriend? You and the bitch are still together? Wait, I mean, you guys are still together?"

"Yup. Sorry your plan didn't work, Reyna," Troy said. He turned around when it was his turn and he ordered. Reyna frowned. "You can't be serious. What do you see in her?"

"She's nicer and prettier than you," Troy said. "She has a great personality and she likes me for me. Not my popularity."

"What, so you're saying you don't only like her for her fame? Don't kid anyone, Troy. I know you only like her for her fame."

Troy grabbed his stuff and paid. "That's where you're wrong, Reyna. See, I don't use people for my needs or amusement. He picked a fry off his plate and put it in her hand. "Have a good day, Reyna."

"Fine, Troy! Go back your fucking bitch! But I'll be sure to make both of your lives hell!"

"Have fun with that, Reyna." Troy flipped her off before turning and going back to everyone.

"Aw, you really do love my sister," Reva said, taking her pretzel. "Thanks, brother-in-law."

"Not yet," Troy said. "Maybe in six years.

"If you guys even make it that long."

"Huh?"

"Troy, we're leaving in like five months. We can't stay here forever."

"Yeah, but we're just thinking about now," Troy said dejectedly. "Right here and right now."

Reva sighed. "I knew this was a bad idea. How are we going to break you two apart?"


	15. Oh Boy

**Chapter 15:**

**Oh Boy**

I got Troy and Gabriella's date from Fresh Meat. It was a show I was watching and their challenge involved swimming with sharks. I got Reva's bug screaming from me. There were two huge water bugs crawling around my dinning room and living room and I was on the couch screaming my butt off.

"Stay clear of the witch," Chad said and he and Troy walked into the school. "She actually said that? I thought she wanted her popularity to go up, not down. It sure as hell isn't going to go up if she messes with the Montez clan again."

"I won't let her come between us again. We were almost done because of her."

"Well don't worry about it. Look, I have to go to the library. Taylor has my homework."

"She does your homework?"

"No. She's going to make me do it."

"Dude, you have twenty minutes."

"Tell Darbus my car broke down! Thanks, man." Chad ran towards the library and Troy shook his head. Chad doesn't even have a car.

"Hey, Wildcat." Gabriella came up next to him and Troy smiled down at her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "Hey. What happened to you this morning?"

"Maxine insisted I ride with her to Dunkin Donuts. I have no idea why."

"Okay. Hey, can I take you out on a date tonight?"

"Uh, sure. What time?"

"How about six? Oh and wear a bathing suit."

Gabriella's face creased in confusion. "Okay. Where are we going?"

"That is for me to know and you to find out." Troy kissed her cheek as they came up to her locker. "Um, can I uh, ask you something?" Troy asked nervously. Gabriella nodded and took a book from her locker. She turned to him. "Yeah, what's up?"

"What will happen when you leave? Will we be over or…"

Gabriella sighed and clutched both of the necklaces that her two favorite men got for her. "I really don't know. Let's just think about now though. C'mon, follow me."

"Where?"

"To the music room. I want to sing a song with you. One that I made."

"You know I hate singing," Troy said but allowed Gabriella to pull him into the room. She shut the door behind them before walking to the piano bench and sitting down. Troy sat besides her. "How do you write so many songs?"

"They just come to me. My dad would write me these little poems when I was younger and I turned them into songs."

Troy smiled as Gabriella began. "Sing this," Gabriella said, and pushed the lyric sheet in his view. It was called _Right Here Right Now_. "Then I'll join in."

Troy began his part and together they flew into the song. Just being here together with each other was all they could ask for.

"Hey, just one question; are you afraid of sharks?" Troy asked Gabriella. Gabriella looked at him weirdly before nodding. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"Emil's taking a survey," Troy said and they walked into homeroom. Gabriella nodded and took her seat.

…

"Troy's taking me out on a date tonight," Gabriella announced. Her, Reva, Selena, Maxine and Leilani were all settled in her and Maxine's room. "I have to wear a bathing suit. Are we going to the beach or something?"

Leilani smirked. "Something like that. Oh, and be careful, Emil gave him this idea."

"Okay, I'm scared now." Gabriella stood up and walked into the bathroom with her purple bikini. She came out a minute later. "Will this catch his attention?"

"Hell yes," Leilani said. "No homo, but you look hot. I hope he brings condoms."

"Shut up, Leilani. Really, where are we going?"

"You'll find out." Leilani looked down at her watch. "Oh crap, I have to leave. Call me later, chicas." Leilani walked out of the room. Gabriella pulled on a cover-up and shorts and slipped on some sandals.

"Maybe you'll swim with dolphins," Maxine said. "Troy took Reyna to some place and they did that."

"I love dolphins," Gabriella said. "They're so cute and bubbly."

"And you're so weird and creepy," Selena commented. Gabriella was about to say something back when the doorbell rung. "That's Troy. I'll tell you guys all about it." Gabriella grabbed her purse and quickly rushed to the door.

"Hey," Troy said as she opened the door. Gabriella grinned at him. "Hey. Ready?"

"Yup. Let's go." They both climbed into the car and Gabriella looked around when she caught the smell of hoagies. "What's that?"

"I brought dinner. We're going to be doing our activity first then eat."

"What's the activity?"

"You'll see."

Troy pulled up into the Albuquerque Aquarium. Gabriella's eyebrows rose. Okay, not her romantic version of a second date. "Why are we at the aquarium?"

"We're going to see little fishies," Troy answered with a sly grin. He helped Gabriella out of his truck before they walked to the entrance. "Um…okay."

Even though Gabriella didn't want to be in the aquarium, she still had fun just being with Troy and seeing fish and whatnot. She even got excited when she saw a dolphin and killer whale.

"Have you ever thought about swimming with fishes?" Troy asked Gabriella. Gabriella shrugged. "Not really. They stink."

"Well, guess what, we're going to be swimming with some fishes tonight. Follow me."

"Wait, seriously? I can't even swim." Gabriella quickly fell into step behind him. "What if it touches me?"

"It won't."

Troy stopped them at the line-up for swimming with the fishes. "Are you sure there's only fish?" Gabriella asked as she stripped out of her cover-up and shorts. Troy nodded and threw off his shirt "Yup. Here, we have to wear this."

The guy in control of swimming with the "fishes" handed then their a scuba diving suits and flippers. Once they were all suited up and ready, they went to the edge of the water. Gabriella caught sight of something and she gasped. "Holy fuck, are those sharks?" Gabriella squeaked. Troy laughed and nodded. He pulled down his goggles. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"I'm not going anywhere near those things."

"Please? Just for a bit. I promise I won't let them kill you."

"Good, because I need to be alive to kill _you_ for taking me here." Gabriella shook her head and pulled down her goggles. "I seriously hate you right now."

"I love you, too, baby." Troy grabbed her hand and they both jumped into the water. Corals, fish, sharks, sting rays and more swayed in the water. A shark inched near them and Gabriella held onto Troy.

Except for the shark part, Gabriella actually thought this was a neat and romantic date. Swimming down there was beautiful. She just couldn't swim away form the fact that there are sharks there.

"It's amazing down there," Gabriella breathed as they swam to the surface. "Well, you know, except for the sharks."

"They aren't that bad when you look at them," Troy said. "Ready to go again?'

"Yeah. I think I saw a dolphin." Troy laughed and pulled them down under water.

…

"Get it, Emil!" Reva shrieked. She was basically on the ceiling, trying to get away from the bug. "It's just a bug, Reva," Maxine laughed.

"That is not a bug," Reva said. "That is a mutant thing from Pluto."

"It must've taken the little thing thousands of years to get here then," Selena said. "And Pluto isn't a planet anymore, genius."

Reva screamed as it started crawling on the couch. She jumped off the couch and ran to Selena. "Hold me! That thing is _huge_!"

"So is your head," Selena commented when Reva's head bumped into her lip. "Hey, Emil, what was the topic of Troy and Gabriella's date?"

"Going to the aquarium and swimming with sharks," Emil said casually. He shrugged. "I was going to make it Reva and mines date, but he overheard me."

"Our date?" Reva shrieked. "After I've been forced to watch Jaws when I was little, I am not coming anywhere near a shark."

"Has Gabriella talked with that Ketch guy lately?" Leilani asked.

"I don't think so," Maxine answered. "Since she lost her phone she uses the house phone and only talks with Troy on that."

Sammy came in the room with Reva's dog. "Look who's here."

Reva gasped and ran for Loco. "Loco! How's mommy's boy?" She squeezed Loco close. Loco licked Reva's face and barked. "Aw, isn't he a Chihuahua?" Leilani asked, coming up to pet Loco. Reva nodded and kissed Loco's head. "Yup. And he's a pure breed. He cost three thousand dollars."

"That is _fucking huge_," Emil said. "Three grand?"

"That's the advantage when you're a celebrity," Reva said. "You have tons of money."

"He is so cute," Maxine gushed. Moxie came trotting into the room a second later. She looked up at Loco. "You guys better keep those dogs away from each other," Selena warned. "I see doggie love and with doggie love is doggie sex and with doggie sex is with doggie puppies."

"Well, Troy and Gabriella fell in love and they went through that same cycle. Excluding the dog and puppy part," Reva said.

"What cycle did Troy and Gabriella go through?" Rosie asked as she walked into the room.

And of course Sammy was the one to say something. "That Troy and Gabriella went to doggie love and with doggie love is doggie sex and with doggie sex is doggie puppies. But excluding the dog and puppy parts," Sammy clarified.

"Ooh, someone is in trouble," Emil said after looking at Rosie's face.

"Gabriella and Troy are having sex?" Rosie asked.

"Maybe," Maxine said. Rosie shook her head and sighed. "Well, where are they now?"

"Swimming with sharks," Reva said.

"My goodness, you can never leave teenagers alone."

…

"That was so much fun," Gabriella said after they finished dinner. They were walking back to Troy's truck. "Are we going to my house or yours?"

"My house is packed," Troy said. "My parents love to have friend parties."

Gabriela nodded and looked down at her phone. She viewed the text message Reva had sent her five minutes ago.

_Rose knows u and Troy r having sex. X) Sam's fault! _

"Sammy rated out you and me about us having sex," Gabriella told Troy. "I'm kind of scared to go back to Rosie.

"Why? You're afraid to have 'the talk'?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. Rosie is like my third sister. It's kind of—" Gabriella shut up as Troy leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back a few seconds later and smiled at her. Gabriella smiled back, a bit dazed. "What was that for?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know. When your lips move I want them to move with mine," he answered. Gabriella pecked his lips. "You are so cheesy."

"Yeah, but you love me." Troy unlocked the door and they each climbed into his truck. Gabriella pulled her knees up to her chest and looked down at her missed calls. Her mom had called. Quickly Gabriella called back and waited for her to pick up.

"_Hello?" _

"Hey, mami. Sorry I missed your call. I was on a date with Troy."

Rayline smiled. "_I can see that. I just called earlier to check up on you all." _

Gabriella nodded. "Okay. I'll talk to you later, mami, okay?"

"_Okay. I love you, Gabi." _

"Love you, too. Bye." Gabriella hung up her phone and looked out the window. A car with paparazzi was driving by them. Gabriella wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "The paps still creep me out. I mean, why would someone want to know about who you date and other personal stuff?"

Troy chuckled. "Fans? People think other people's lives are entertaining."

"Well I don't get it." Gabriella let her knees down and picked up Troy's CD stack. She smiled when she saw her, Reva and Selena's album _Butterfly Kisses_ in it. She turned to Troy and smiled. "When you'd get this? This album is from two years ago."

"I got it two years ago," Troy said. "Yes I was a fan when I was fifteen. Is that a crime?"

"No. It's just shocking. Most boys at that age would like someone like Niki Minaj or Trey Songz or something."

"Yeah, well I'm not normal, am I?" Troy said. "I mean, what normal teenage boy dates a teenage celebrity and is in love with _her_ not her fame?"

Gabriella giggled. She picked up his hand and kissed his palm. "No one that I know. Well, except for Emil…"

"You're so ruining the moment," Troy said. Gabriella smiled. "Thanksgiving is in a few weeks. What are you doing?"

"That's the day I want you to meet my parents."

"Why can't I meet them sooner?"

"Because my whole family is coming that day and my parents want them all to meet you. Don't worry; half of them are old and over thirty. They won't know you."

Gabriella laughed and slapped his thigh playfully. "You are so mean, Troy."

Troy shrugged and pulled up into the driveway. Sammy was running around the front yard with nothing on. Well, unless you count the underwear on his head. Rosie, Maxine, Selena, Reva, Leilani, Emil, Moxie and Loco were chasing after him. Gabriella laughed and looked at Troy. "Looks like we missed a lot."

"Gabi and Troy is back!" Sammy announced and he stopped running. Rosie quickly snatched him up and took his underwear off of his head. She slipped them on his bottom then sighed. "Thank goodness."

"What happened?" Troy and Gabriella got out of the car and walked to them.

"Rosie was dressing Sammy from after his bath and Sammy escaped."

"And Loco's back!" Reva announced and scooped up her dog. Loco squirmed from Reva's grip and darted to Troy. He started gnawing on Troy's sneakers and pants. "Whoa." Troy said. Reva quickly pried Loco away but Loco slipped away again. He ran to Leilani and started humping her leg.

"Oh my God!" Leilani shrieked. Everyone laughed and Reva pried Loco successfully off of Leilani. She couldn't help but laugh as well. "Looks like Loco wants some, Lei," Reva said teasingly.

Leilani hit her playfully and started walking to Troy's car. "Mom wants us to meet some of her friends. See you guys tomorrow." Troy gave Gabriella a kiss and Emil gave Reva a kiss. "Bye, guys."

Loco barked after Leilani and Troy. They all laughed then walked back into the house.

"Girls, can you dress Sammy, please?" Rosie asked. Her question was directed to Reva, Selena and Maxine. Gabriella sighed and sat on the couch. Oh boy.


	16. Kareoke

Chapter 16:

Karaoke

"Can't we skip this?" Gabriella pleaded. "My mom already gave me the talk."

"Don't worry," Rosie said as she sat down. "I just want to know if you guys are being safe."

"Of course we are. And don't worry about birth control. Mom already got me on that," Gabriella assured her. Rosie nodded and smiled. "I know. I asked your mom."

"You what? Rosie, now she'll think I'm having sex."

"Gabriella, she already guessed at it anyway. But sweetheart, no one is judging you. We know you guys really love each other and this isn't just infatuation with sex. So, we're allowing you guys to lock the doors once in a while and have fun. Just as long as Troy always has a condom. And just in case you run out, I stored a few in your underwear drawer." Rosie wiggled her eyebrows and Gabriella groaned.

"Okay, this has officially become more awkward," Gabriella said and stood. Rosie laughed. "Okay, I'll let you go, but remember what I said, Gabriella."

"I will. I am so not getting pregnant. The media would always be on me."

Rosie smiled. "Well, I'll see you in the morning, okay? Get some sleep."

Gabriella nodded and walked up the steps and to her room. Maxine was on her bed. They had recently brought Maxine another bed instead of the pullout one under Gabriella's bed. "Hey."

"Hey." Maxine threw her plush ball up in the air then it came down again. Gabriella sat on her bed. "You okay?"

"Define _okay_." Maxine sat up and placed the ball on her nightstand. She turned to Gabriella and sighed.

"What's wrong, Max?"

"Okay, I like this boy, but he doesn't like me back because he's already taken."

Gabriella thought back on all her friends. It's either Chad or Ryan. "Who? Do I know him?"

"Yeah…"

"Well then who is it?"

"It's Chad. But Gabriella, Taylor and I are best friends. I can't break it because I like Chad."

Gabriella sighed and hugged Maxine. "Oh, Max. This is seriously horrible. It's like One Tree Hill when Peyton and Brooke each had a thing for Lucas."

"I'm talking more than Peyton and Brooke friendship, Gabriella. I've known Taylor since I was four and I can't just throw our friendship away because of a guy."

"Maybe you should see another boy and maybe you'll have stronger feelings for him."

"Yeah, and who do you think I'd be able to get?"

"Maxine, you're extremely beautiful. Like, really, really beautiful. If I were a lesbian—which I'm not—then I'd totally date you. But anyway, you can get any guy to fall at your feet in seconds. In fact, tomorrow at school will be boy day. I'll set you up with three different boys and you tell me how much you like each. Which ever one is the best, you get to know him, go out on a few dates and there."

"I don't know…"

"Oh come on, Max. It'll be fun."

"Fine."

"Good night."

"Night."

…

"Maxine is going to find herself a boy today," Gabriella told Leilani and the Twins later in fourth period.

"We should hook her up with Matt Pendigly," Charlene suggested. "He is so hot and charming."

"Matt?" Leilani scrunched up her nose. "He's fake. He slept with half of the girl population. And he even slept with his step mother."

"His step mother?"

Leilani nodded. "Yeah. Then he went to Vegas with her and his dad and him and his step mother had a fake wedding." Leilani laughed. "His dad was mad."

"I bet," Gabriella said with shock evident on her face. "My goodness, he is such a man whore."

"So Matt's crossed off the list."

"How about Howard Leering?" Acelyn suggested. "Don't tell me he's fake."

"He's actually nice," Leilani said. "Can we put him in?"

"Go ahead. I don't even know him."

Leilani wrote down Howard's name. "Nick Copper."

"Done deal," Charlene and Acelyn said together.

"Are you girls working on the project?" Miss K came over to them, eyeing them suspiciously. Leilani quickly hid the paper under her arms. "Yes, ma'am," they said together.

"I'll be watching," Miss K said then moved on. Gabriella looked back at the Twins and Leilani. "I'll work while you guys pick. I don't know anyone at this school."

They nodded and went on with the list. While Gabriella was seeing the different plants on her paper, Reyna came behind her. Reyna smirked and poured the bluish-pinkish substance from her beaker all over Gabriella. Gabriella gasped as the stuff drenched her clothes and hair.

"Reyna Petro!" Miss K barked. "To the principal's office _now_!"

Reyna smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry, Gabriella. My hand slipped." Reyna kicked the leg of Gabriella's chair and the chair toppled over, leaving Gabriella and her project all over her. "Oops." Then Reyna left.

And for the first time in Gabriella's short high school life, she was humiliated and just wanted to cry. Leilani and the Twins rushed to her side and helped her up. "Want me to take you to the bathroom?"

"No, I'll go alone," Gabriella decided and walked out of the room. Her side hurt from the fall and she felt all disgusting and wet. She got to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. Her hair was mashed with the chemicals and that made her hair stick to her face. Her clothes were drenched and through her white shirt you could easily see her black lace bra.

Gabriella grabbed a bunch of paper towels and tried to wipe the wetness off of her, but it didn't help. It only made her more messy and sticky.

"Reyna's a bitch," a voice said. Gabriella quickly turned around and was relieved to see it was only Kelsi. But she was surprised too. Kelsi was shy and quit and never cursed. "But you have to learn to ignore her." Kelsi pulled out a bottle shampoo and a shirt from her bag. "I always come prepared when I go to the same school as Reyna."

Gabriella smiled and hugged Kelsi. "Thanks, Kels. You're seriously a life savor."

Kelsi smiled and shrugged. "It's fine. Now, put your head over the sink. I'll wash your hair." Gabriella did as she was told and Kelsi turned on the faucet. She squirted some shampoo in her hand and started washing Gabriella hair. "You're only a victim of Reyna's when you're unpopular and she's jealous of you. And Gabriella, she's really, really, _really _jealous of you. Especially since you're dating Troy."

"Why can't she be jealous of someone else?" Gabriella groaned. "I'm tired of this. And I'm tired of Reyna."

"Do you know why Reyna's like this?" Kelsi asked nonchalantly. Gabriella shook her head faintly under the flapping water and Kelsi's hands. "Well, Reyna wasn't always this mean. When she was twelve, her father left her and her mom and her little brother. The thing is, her little brother died a few days later from drowning in the bathtub and he was only four. Reyna was a wreck. She blamed her mother for all of it because her mother had left her little brother in the tub and Reyna thought her mother drove away her father." Kelsi shook her head. "It's sad. To pay for both of them Reyna's mom worked two jobs. One at the hospital and the other as a stripper.

"Later, when Reyna was thirteen, her mother started doing drugs. It became addictive for her. In fact, it was so addictive that one day she overdosed only a few months ago. The shocking thing was that the doctor told Reyna and her stepdad that Reyna's mom had ovarian cancer and lung cancer. She only had six more months to live." Kelsi sighed and turned off the faucet. "It's still wrong what Reyna does, but I still feel bad for her."

Gabriella took the paper towels Kelsi handed her and started drying her hair. "Yeah, me too."

Kelsi handed Gabriella the shirt and Gabriella quickly peeled off the drenched one. She wiped at her stomach with the paper towels then put on the shirt. "You're seriously a life savor," Gabriella said. "Thanks."

Kelsi grinned. "It's fine. No one should be treated like that."

"Yeah." Gabriella pushed open the door to the bathroom and peeked out. The hallway was still empty except for a few people roaming around. "Thank goodness the coast is clear." Gabriella and Kelsi walked out of the bathroom.

"I have to get to class. Talk to you later?" Kelsi said.

Gabriella nodded and smiled. "Most definitely. See you." They departed ways. Gabriella walked slowly back to her class, not wanting to get there early.

When she got there, everyone turned to look at her. She sat back down at her spot and started working. Everyone else went back to work as well. "What happened?" Leilani asked.

"I went to the bathroom. Kelsi helped me. Did you know she cursed?"

Leilani and the Twins laughed. "Yeah. She's a potty mouth when she wants to be."

…

Sammy grabbed his karaoke machine. He walked down the steps in only his underwear and white beater and socks.

Everyone was crowded in the living room waiting for his performance.

"I had the time of my life," he lip singed with Black Eyed Pea's The Time. "And I never felt this way before. And I swear this is true and I owe it all to you. Oh, I had the time of my life. And I never felt this way before. And I swear this is true and I owe it all to you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you. Dirty Bit." He broke down into the Robot and everyone laughed. "Dirty Bit." Then the song changed.

"DJ Khaled! Hey, yeah. All I do is win, win, win no matter what. Got money on my mind I can never get enough and every time I step up in the building everybody's hands go up…and they stay there. And they stay there. And they stay there, up down, up down." Sammy started raising his hand in the air then dropping it. Everyone laughed again and copied his motions. "'Cause all I do is win, win, win. If you goin' in put your hands in the air and stay there."

The song changed again to Michael Jackson's _Billie Jean_. Everyone whooped as Sammy attempted to do the moonwalk and then the crotch grab. He slipped on his white glove and his hat. Instead of singing he danced to the song instead. But when the chorus came on, he went all out. "Billie Jean is not my lover! She's just a girl who thinks that I am the one."

Once again the song changed. Sammy lifted his hands over his head and then swayed them back and forth as the song came on. "Another day is gone. I'm still all alone. How could this be? That you're not here with me. You never said goodbye. Someone tell me why did you have to go and leave my world so cold." He started moving back and forth. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a flashlight. He waved it in the air and a few laughs escaped his audience.

"Everyday I sit and ask myself. Something whispers in my ear and says. You are not alone. I am here with you. Though you're far away I am here to stay and you are not alone. I am here with you and though we're far apart. You're always in my heart. You are not alone." The music stopped and so did Sammy. He put his flashlight back in his shirt.

The tune to _Baby_ by Justin Bieber started. Troy and Emil groaned and put their heads in their hands. Selena, Leilani, Maxine and Reva all jumped up and started squealing.

"Ooh, oh. Ooohoh, oh. Ohhoh, oh. You know you love me. I know you care," Sammy lip sung as he danced. "Just shout whenever and I'll be there. You want my love. You want my heart. And we will never, ever, ever be apart. Are we an item? Girl quit playing. We're just friends, what are you saying? Say there's another and look into my eyes. My first love broke my heart for the first time and I was like baby, baby, baby, oh. Like baby, baby, baby, no. Like baby, baby, baby, oh. Thought you'd always be mine. Baby, baby, baby, oh. Like baby, baby, baby, no. Like baby, baby, bay, oh. Thought you'd always be mine, mine." The music stopped and Sammy stopped dancing. He bowed, picked up his karaoke machine then left. His small audience clapped and cheered behind him.

Loco came running up to Leilani and humping her leg again. Reva grabbed Loco quick. "Okay, I'm seriously not the dog type."

Reva laughed. "Don't you hear him calling you, Lei? Baby, baby, bay, oh. Like baby, baby, baby, no. Like baby, baby, baby, no. Thought you'd always be mine. He's trying to serenade you."

"More like _rape_ me." Leilani pinched her and plopped back down on the couch.

Sammy came racing down the steps. "Yoda's missing!"

Reva screamed and jumped on the couch. "He's _what_? So he's roaming around the house and he could crawl on anyone right now?"

"No," Sammy said, looking at her head. "He could crawl on _you_ right now." Reva's breathing quickened. Her hand reached up and when she felt Yoda's hairy body scratch across her hand, she screamed. Yoda was startled. He crawled down the side of her face which made Reva scream harder and Yoda to get more scared.

Reva started threw Yoda off of her. Sammy quickly dropped to the ground and grabbed Yoda before Reva could kill him. "Your dog is scaring him!"

"No, your bug is scaring Loco!"

"Nuh-uh! I can't live with these women anymore!" Sammy put Yoda in his mouth then marched off to the kitchen. Reva jumped down off the couch. "I'll need to burn the side of my face," she groaned.

"Mom wants us home," Leilani announced, standing up. "I hate family meetings."

"It's usually bad news," Emil said.

"What kind of bad news?" Gabriella asked.

Emil shrugged. "I don't know. But hey, we'll see you guys tomorrow." Emil kissed Reva and Troy kissed Gabriella. "Bye."

Sammy came out the kitchen. "Who ate my ice cream?"

"Loco was hungry," Reva said sheepishly. Sammy narrowed his eyes at her then backed out of the room.

* * *

><p>I probably should've said this in Chap 15, but I'm back! Oh, and I finally got SLRGGC done. I'll post that chapter up. Thanks for reading and all the reviewers who, well, reviewed!I wish I could point you guys out all individually, but I'm kind of on a tight schedule.<p>

Thanks!-Brittany


	17. It's Over

**Chapter 17:**

**It's Over**

"What's this family meeting about?" Emil asked as he and his siblings moved into the living room. Their parents were looking to the ground, a sad expression written across them. "Mom? Dad?"

"Why don't you guys sit down," Lucille said. The three sat down awkwardly and waited for their parents to speak.

"You see, we've been living here since Troy and Leilani were born—"

"Leilani and Troy," Leilani said.

"Honey, this is not the time for jokes. This is serious and you'll probably hate us for saying this."

"What's going on?" Troy asked.

"My job has been transferred," Lucille said.

"To like some other part of Albuquerque, right?" Troy asked nervously. His hands were clammy and he hoped to God that he won't have to leave Gabriella behind.

But Lucille shook her head sadly. "To Maine. And it's a really good deal. We'll be leaving in two days."

Troy shot up out of his seat and shook his head. "No. I'm not going."

"Troy—"

"You can't just take us away from all of our friends like that."

"Troy, you guys can still talk. And you'll make new friends," Lucille tried to reason.

"Bullshit! You're always thinking about yourself. Have you ever taken a fucking break and thought about our fucking feelings?"

"Troy, don't you dare talk to your mother like that," Jack said, standing up as well. His eyes burned into Troy, but Troy didn't back down. "Well it's true," Troy said despondently. "And I'm not going." With that said, he turned and walked out of the house. The front door slammed hard behind him and the Bolton household became silent.

"I think he's mad," Emil spoke. Leilani sighed and ran after him. She went to the one place he always went when he was angry.

Leilani carefully climbed up the ladder of their tree house. She sighed sadly when she saw Troy sitting on the ledge looking completely broken. "Troy…" She came and sat down next to him. Shock raked her body when she saw his tears. "Are you crying?"

"I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving Gabriella behind. We were supposed to have more time together."

Leilani hugged him. "Sometimes stuff happens at the speed of light. Gabriella would be going anyway, Troy. You knew this was only temporary."

"I don't care," Troy snapped. "And I'm not going. They can't make me."

"But what about Emil and me? Besides Troy, where would you go? To Rosie? What do you think will happen when Gabriella leaves?"

"I'm not going," Troy repeated. Leilani sighed and nodded. "I know. And once you've made up your mind, you'll never change it." Leilani stood. "I'll see you later." She climbed back down the ladder and then pulled out her phone. She dialed a familiar number.

_"Hello?" _the voice said.

"Gabriella, I need your help."

…

"I have to go," Gabriella said. She quickly slipped her flip flops on and her jacket.

"Where to?" Maxine asked.

"Troy's house. They had their family meeting and the topic wasn't happy."

"What happened?"

"They're moving." Gabriella quickly walked out of the house. She got into her car and sped off down the road. While she drove, she couldn't help but let some tears slip. This was the first time she cried here in New Mexico. If you would've told her she'd be crying over a boy, she'd laugh in your face. But now she was and inside she was slowly dying.

She wondered what it will be like when she has to leave New Mexico as well.

Gabriella pulled up into the drive way then got out. Leilani quickly ran up to the car and hugged her tightly. "He's in the backyard in the tree house. Be careful with the ladder, too."

Gabriella nodded. "Okay. And thanks for calling me, Leilani."

"You're the only one that can make him feel better." Leilani smiled. "Now go get your man."

Gabriella opened the gate to the backyard and stepped in. Slowly, she made her way over to the tree house and climbed up. "You can't change my mind, Leilani," Troy said.

"Can I?"

Troy turned and smiled. Gabriella came and sat down next to him. "You shouldn't have come."

Gabriella wrapped an arm around him. "Why not? You're my boyfriend and I love you. What else do I need to come over here?"

Troy sighed. "I knew this day was coming. Well, except I thought it would be the other way around and we'd have a few more months. But that's not the case."

"You need to go Troy," Gabriella said reluctantly. "You can't pick me over family."

"Yes I can and I will."

"No. You've known me for two months while you've known your family your whole life. You have to go Troy. We can write and call and Skype. And we'll still always be together."

"I'm not with you if I can't hold you and hug you and kiss you and talk to you_ in person_. And I'm not complete either."

"You'll have to be," Gabriella whispered. She tried to push the tears back up, but they came. "How did I get here? I turned around and there you were I didn't think twice or rationalize 'cause somehow I knew. That this was more than just chemistry I mean I knew you were kind of into me, but I figured it's too good to be true. I said pinch where's the catch this time, can't find a single cloud in the sky help me before I get used to this guy." Gabriella smiled. "I thought of that song when I first saw you at the park. But…then I realized that that isn't our song."

"What is?"

Gabriella smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. She stilled her hand at his neck then pulled him to her for a kiss. "Our song is anything you want it to be," she said, pulling away from his lips.

"No title?"

Gabriella smiled and stood. Troy stood also and grasped her hands in his. He wiped at her tears with the pad of his thumb. "I don't want to go," Troy whispered. His voice became shaky and hoarse and Gabriella knew he was going to cry. "Don't cry," Gabriella begged. "I'll come visit you whenever I can."

"But not everyday."

"Troy…"

"I'll go to California with you," Troy decided. Gabriella grabbed his face between her hands and shook her head. "Troy, you can't. You can't leave your family behind and don't say you will."

Troy grabbed her hands. "Please don't make me go."

Gabriella sighed. "I'll miss you, Wildcat. But sometimes we have to say goodbye."

"Not goodbye," Troy pleaded. "Until next time or see you later."

Gabriella shook her head and took her eyes away from his. "Goodbye, Troy. I love you." Gabriella kissed his cheek before turning and climbing down the ladder. Troy walked further inside of the tree house. He laid down on the hardwood floor and looked up at the plain ceiling.

He stood a minute later and walked over to a shelf. On the shelf were pictures of him and Gabriella.

"The day a door is closed the echoes fill your soul. They won't say which way to go just trust your heart. To find what you're here for open another door. 'Cause I'm not sure anymore it's just so hard." Troy hit a wall with his fist. The vibrations of the tree house didn't shake him though. It only made him cry harder.

…

"Gabriella, what happened?" Rosie asked as Gabriella came into the house. Gabriella shook her head and hugged Rosie. "It's done," Gabriella cried. "It's over."

* * *

><p>Really short chap, I know. But bear with me. Oh, and review!<p>

Thanks!-Brittany


	18. a Chapter That is Too Long

**Chapter 18:**

**I Hav No Idea Wat 2 Cll Dis Chap Cuz I Made It 2 Long! **

"What do you mean it's over?' Maxine said. "It's over as in they _are_ leaving or it's over as in…Troy and Gabriella."

"Both," Gabriella said as she pulled away from Rosie. "They're leaving and we're over."

"Wait, so you changed his mind?" Reva asked. "Gabriella, why?"

"Because I'm not that selfish, okay? I don't want him or Leilani and Emil to stay and be away from their family. I can't do that to him."

Reva shook her head and stormed off to her room. Gabriella wiped at her eyes and went silently to her room as well.

"You guys aren't leaving…right?" Sammy asked. He walked down the stairs clutching his teddy bear. "You guys are staying here with us aren't you?"

"I don't know," Selena said softly. "I really don't know."

…

Gabriella threw her suitcase on her bed and started throwing her clothes in it. Tears stung her eyes and trailed down her cheeks quickly but she didn't wipe them away. Instead she pushed her suitcase aside and cried in her hands.

There was a knock on the door before it opened. "Gabriella?" Selena came inside of the room and sat down on the bed. "Gabriella, it'll be alright."

"Don't say that unless you know what I'm going through," Gabriella said fiercely, lifting up from her hands and looking at Selena. "You know, I wish I never asked mom to let us come here. It's all been a disaster! I just want to go home and forget about everything."

"So you want to forget about Troy, then?" Selena asked, knowing she struck a nerve. "Gabriella, you have time. Go get your man."

"It's not that easy," Gabriella said. "That means I'll be taking him away from his family. And that's selfish."

Selena shook her head. "It's not selfish, Gabriella. It's true love."

…

"Troy, can we talk to you?" Lucille opened the door to her son's room and her and jack walked in. Troy sighed and sat up. He leaned over on his knees and nodded. "What do you want? Do you want to ruin my life some more?"

"Troy, we know you're mad," Jack said.

"No shit." Troy rolled his eyes.

"But we won't tolerate that kind of tone and language," Lucille said firmly.

"Is that all you came in here to say?" Troy asked, looking up at them with unyielding eyes. "Because if it is, just go."

"We came in here to let you know we support you and Gabriella's relationship," Lucille explained.

Troy shook his head. "It's a little too late for that now. I don't even think we have a relationship anymore."

"Well why not?" Jack asked. "What happened?"

"She came over after the meeting and said goodbye."

"Goodbye as in see you later, right?"

Troy shook his head and sighed. "No. Goodbye as in I won't ever see you again."

"Oh, Troy." Lucille stepped up and hugged him. "But this was a temporary thing, right? Wasn't she going back to LA in a few more months?"

"Yes, but we wanted ore time."

"We're sorry, Troy," Jack said. "But Gabriella is right. You can't choose her over family. Goodnight." Jack nodded before leaving the room with Lucille.

"Of course," Troy whispered before falling back on his bed and closing his eyes.

…

"Selena, can you teach me how to play the drums?" Sammy asked Selena as he came bouncing down to the basement. He stood in front of Selena and her drums and watched a she created a steady beat. Selena stopped drumming and grinned up at him. "Want to play the drums?"

"Yeah. My friend Vinny plays the drums. But he moved to Maine."

"Maine isn't even that popular, why are people moving to it?" Sammy shrugged. "Okay, so you want to play the awesome drums, then you have to know how to speak to the drums."

Sammy's face grew confused. "Huh?"

Selena smiled. "Let the rhythm come to you. I bet you want to just go wild and beat on the drums. Well, it's not all that. You have to find a beat and then add to it. Like this." Selena started tapping on the base drum. In between it she hit the cymbal. Then she made a beat. "Like that. Try it." Selena stood up and Sammy sat down. He grabbed the drum sticks and copied Selena's motions.

"This so cool!" he exclaimed. But then he frowned and dropped the drum sticks. "Gabriella and Reva haven't come out of their rooms since yesterday. Does that mean you guys are leaving?"

"Oh, Sammy." Selena sighed. "I hope not. I don't know how they feel since they both have a broken heart, but I know it hurts them so much. Let's just give them time."

"I hope you guys aren't," Sammy said softly. "I actually like you."

Selena grinned. "I'm grateful of that. Now, how about I show you some songs and we can get rocking."

"Yeah! That would be so awesome!" Sammy went wild on the drums and Selena laughed. All the while, Gabriella was at the top of the steps. She turned away and plopped down on a stool. "Well, if it isn't Miss Broken-Heart." Rosie came into the kitchen. "How are you holding up?"

Gabriella stood and opened the freezer. She pulled out a tube of cookie dough ice cream then sat back down. "Well, that answers my question." Rosie handed Gabriella a spoon. "You're at the ice cream sulking stage."

"I should've known this would be a bad idea," Gabriella said. "I mean, Reva was right. Who are we trying to kid? When we got into this business, that turned into our normal. Not this and it will never be this."

"Gabriella, don't doubt yourself. You guys can be anything you want to be. But sometimes that comes with bumpy bumps on the road."

Gabriella dug the spoon in the bowl. "I hate bumps." She picked up a huge lump of ice cream and placed it in her mouth. "I hate my life."

Rosie frowned and took the ice cream away from her. Gabriella looked at her. "Hey, that's my sulking ice cream. Go find your own."

"No, see what you need is a good tune up. Let me see your lyrics book."

"Why?"

"Just let me see it."

"Okay, okay. Jeez." Gabriella grabbed her book from her backpack hanging on the hook by the door. She handed it to Rosie and watched as she looked through it. "What do you need it for?"

"These songs are really good," Rosie commented. "Let's find a fun one…how about this one?"

Gabriella grabbed the book and looked down at the song. "He Could Be the One? I don't know…I'm not in a mood to sing this."

"Come one. The public wants a song from you, Gabs. And Reva and Selena." Gabriella sighed and shook her head. "Just tell me how it goes."

"Fine, fine."

"Good. We'll sing it at the park in an hour. Good luck." Rosie grinned and left the room. Maxine took her place. "What was that about?"

"Rosie wants me to sing a song at the park."

"The park? But that's where…" Maxine grinned. "What's the song called?"

"He Could Be the One." Gabriella slid the book in Maxine's view. "I wrote it for Troy a few weeks ago."

Maxine grinned. "Well, it's a good thing you did. See you later, chica." Maxine ran off and Gabriella shook her head. She reached for her tube of ice cream and started eating.

…

"Reva, we need you. This isn't just for Gabriella. It's for you too."

"How? I don't even get why we'd be singing that song."

"Please, Rev," Maxine pleaded. "I promise you'll love the outcome of it."

"And what if I don't?"

"Then you can leave here," Maxine said. "Just try."

Reva sighed and opened her door. "Fine. I'll sing it. But I'm not going to like it."

"Just pretend you will. And then you can go back to being sad."

An hour later, just like Rosie said, the girls were off at the park. Selena and Sammy pulled out the drums while Rosie, Gabriella, Reva and Maxine fixed the microphones and guitars. Many people were already crowded around them.

"I don't know," Gabriella said.

"Well if you don't do it, then I won't either," Reva said.

Selena rolled her eyes and sat at her drums. "Would you guys shut up? We're doing this whether you like it or not."

"Are you guys almost ready?" Rosie asked. "The crowd is getting antsy."

"Yeah, we're ready."

Gabriella stood in front of her microphone. Reva put on her guitar and stood in front of hers too. Selena fixed her microphone so it would lean down towards her and the drums. Maxine's eyes searched the crowd on top of the Escalade. When she spotted who she was looking for, she smiled brightly and signaled for the trio to start.

…

"I don't get why we're here," Troy said. "What's going on…is that the trio?" Troy looked up. Emil did also and smiled. "Yup," Leilani said. "That's them."

"Smooth talking. So rocking. He's got everything that a girl's wanting," Gabriella sung. "Singing cutie who sings so groovy and I can't keep myself from doing something stupid. Think I may be falling for his smile. Get butterflies when he says my name!"

"He's got something special, he's got something special. The way he's looking at me I want to get all sentimental," the trio sung together. Everyone busted out into applause and cheers. "He's got something special, he's got something special. I can hardly breathe, something's telling me, telling me maybe he could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one.

"He could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one."

Reva stepped up to her mic. She gripped at it with both hands and smiled at the crowd. "He's lightning. Sparks are flying. Everywhere I go he's always on my mind and I'm goin' crazy about him lately! And I can't help myself from how my heart is racing. Think I'm really digging his vibe. He really blows me away! Whoo!"

"He's got something special, he's got something special. The way he's looking at me I want to get all sentimental," the trio sung. "He's got something special, he's got something special. I can hardly breathe, something's telling me, telling me maybe he could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one.

"He could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one."

And like always, Selena came into the bridge. "And he's got a way of making me feel like everything I do is perfectly fine. The stars are aligned when I'm with him. And I'm so into him…"

"He's got something special, he's got something special. The way he's looking at me I want to get all sentimental," the trio sung. "He's got something special, he's got something special. I can hardly breathe, something's telling me, telling me maybe he could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one.

"He could be the one. He could be the one. He could be the one."

"So I might slip again, let it in now and then. That don't mean anything." The crowd that slowly grew erupted into cheers. It was only then when Gabriella and Reva noticed the Bolton boys. "Troy…" She turned to her sisters. "Can I sing something else?"

"Do you need us?" Selena asked.

"Of course. Remember, When You Look At Me?"

Selena and Reva looked at each other before nodding at Gabriella. "Yeah. We'll sing it."

"Okay. Thanks." Gabriella turned to the crowd and waited for them to quiet down before speaking. "I want to sing this song. Its for the people we've met and known to love at our short stay here. And you people know who you are." Reva pulled her keyboard from the back of the Escalade. When she had it set up, they began.

"Everybody needs inspiration," Gabriella sung. "Everybody needs a song. A beautiful melody when the nights are so long. 'Cause there is no guarantee that this life is easy."

"Yeah when my world is falling apart and there's no light to break up the dark that's when I, I look at you," they sung together. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled when she saw his smile. "When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore that's when I, I look at you."

"When I look at you," sung Reva. "I see forgiveness. I see the truth. You love me for who I am like the stars hold the moon. Right there where they belong and I know I'm not alone."

"Yeah when my world is falling apart and there's no light to break up the dark that's when I, I look at you. When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore that's when I, I look at you."

Selena stepped up to her mic. "You appear just like a dream to me just like kaleidoscope colors that cover me all I need every breath that I breathe. All I need every breath that I breathe. Don't you know you're beautiful? Yeah, yeah."

"When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find me way home anymore that's when I, I look at you. I look at you. Yeah. Whoa, you appear just like a dream to me," they finished together. Maxine and Sammy stood up on the Escalade and clapped wildly, mimicking the crowd's.

Troy sliced his way through the crowd and when he was right in front of Gabriella, that's when the camera's started flashing. "Do you care if they see us kissing?' Troy whispered. Gabriella smiled softly and shook her head. Troy grinned. "Good." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. Emil came up to Reva and did the same.

Leilani bounced up to Selena and hugged her. "You guys were great. That was amazing."

"Thanks. Looks like we fixed the couples problem." Selena smiled over at her sisters who were hugging and kissing their boyfriends. "Sammy says you taught him how to play drums," Maxine said as she walked over to them.

"He's born to play. After everything I do, he can do it exactly the same.

"I just called Vinny!" Sammy exclaimed as he came over to them. "He said he will send me a video of him playing the drums! And he also sent me a picture with his new tarantula!"

"What happened to his old one?"

"His sister accidentally ate it."

"How do you accidentally…I don't even want to know."

"That was beautiful," Emil said to Reva. "Look, I made you a poem." Reva took the piece of paper he pulled out of his pocket and looked it over.

**One thousand three hundred and thirty four hours**

**Is the amount of time we've spent together**

**But don't worry, we're not over**

**Because I'll love you forever and ever.**

She smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks. I was up all night working on it. It was hard to rhyme."

Reva laughed and threw her arms around him. "You're the best, Emil."

"Yeah, I know."

"My mom and dad said we could stay," Troy announced to Gabriella. They had moved to a more isolated place. Gabriella grinned at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. At first they wanted me to go, but then today they saw how sad we were and let us stay."

"I love you so much," Gabriella said, wrapping her arms around him. Troy smiled and pulled away. He pulled out a pocket knife and started carving something into the tree besides them. "What are you doing?"

"Writing something cheesy and something that's from a lot of romantic movies," Troy said as he finished carving in a _G. _He made the plus sign and then finished with a rough looking _T_. G + T. Gabriella giggled and took the knife from him. She started carving the number 4 and then wrote Ever. G+T 4Ever. "I remember carving a heart on a tree for my dad," Gabriella said. "But then I dropped the knife and it cut me." She turned her arm over and Troy traced the dark scar. "How come I've never noticed?"

Gabriella smiled and shrugged. "Hey, is your house still open?"

"Yeah. My parents went out. They're going to finish unpacking when they get back."

Gabriella grinned. She trailed her hands down his chest and looked up at him with suggesting eyes. "Wanna go over there so we can finish packing?"

Troy grinned and nodded. "Hell yeah. Let's go."

…

**And I think you know what happens ;) **

…

"Go Selena!" Maxine yelled. Reva threw her a look. "Selena? What about me? I'll be your sister-in-law someday!"

Emil's eyes went wide. "Yeah, someday in fifteen years."

"I was thinking along the lines of maybe eight—" Reva squealed as Selena rammed into her. Selena laughed and patted her pillow. "I love this."

Reva stood and fixed her pillow under her shirt. She looked at Selena and put her fist up. "You're on, sister! Come and get me!" They both ran to each other and then they both fell backwards. Everyone laughed. Sammy stepped up. "One…Two…" Reva quickly popped up and Sammy stepped back.

Selena on the other hand rolled around on the carpet trying to get up. "I' not used to having a big belly," Selena complained. Gabriella stepped in and helped her up then sat back down. "Okay…and fight!"

Selena rammed into Reva, but Reva stayed her ground. She bumped her pillow into Selena and Selena toppled over. Reva quickly jumped on Selena and pinned her down. Sammy stepped up. "One…two…" Selena withered and squirmed beneath Reva, but failed to get her off of her. "Three!" Sammy rung Rosie's cowbell and lifted Reva's hand. "Winner!"

"Gabriella and Maxine's turn," Selena said. She removed the pillows from under her shirt and went to sit on the couch. Gabriella and Maxine stuffed their shirts with pillows before stepping up. "This feels so weird," Gabriella said. She poked at the pillow before looking up at Maxine. "Okay, keep this fight clean," Sammy said. "And… fight!"

Maxine rammed at Gabriella. Gabriella dodged her and Maxine lost her balance and fell. "Ha, beat that, Max!" Gabriella gloated and did a happy dance.

"Oh shut up." Maxine squirmed a bit before standing. She rammed into Gabriella and didn't miss this time. Gabriella and Maxine fell and Maxine pinned her. Sammy scattered to the floor. "One…two…th—"Gabriella pushed Maxine off of her. She pounced at Maxine and they started rolling on the carpet.

"Grab that G and grab that A then grab that B-R-I-E-L-L-A!" Selena chanted.

"Go Maxine!" Leilani and Reva said together. Emil watched with interest. "This is somewhat like lesbian porn. Awesome!"

Everyone stopped and looked at Emil. "Seriously, Emil?" Leilani said.

Emil smirked and leaned back in his seat. "Yup."

Gabriella shook her head and pinned Maxine. Maxine squirmed beneath her, trying to break free. "One…two…three!" Sammy rung the cowbell and lifted Gabriella's hand. "Winner!"

Gabriella jumped with triumph. "Yeah, I won!"

"Now, the winners must face each other," Sammy said. "Then after that, the winner must face…the Great Leilani! Undefeated at this sport." He looked at Gabriella and Reva. "The match up between best sisters. Who will win? Okay. Ready…set…fight!" Sammy quickly moved out of the way as the girls smashed into each other. Reva grabbed Gabriella's arm and twisted it. Gabriella squealed and jerked her arm back. "Fuck Reva, don't break my arm!" Reva grinned and bumped her stomach into Gabriella. Gabriella stumbled back but didn't fall.

"It could be anyone's win," Sammy said. Troy and Selena chanted for Gabriella while Emil and Maxine chanted for Reva. "Go Rev!"

"Maxine, I so don't want to share a room with you anymore," Gabriella said. She pushed Reva onto the ground with her pillow then pinned her to the ground. "One…two—"

Reva pushed Gabriella off of her and pinned her. Gabriella tried to get up under Reva, but all she could do is squirm. "One…two…three!" Sammy rang his cowbell and held up Reva's hand. "Winner!"

Gabriella laughed as she pulled the pillow out from under her shirt. "Look, how much weight I lost."

"Okay, now time for the great Leilani and Reva to perform," Sammy said. He plopped down on the couch next to Gabriella.

Leilani got up. She had stuffed three pillows under her shirt while Reva only had one. "Oh boy," Reva said. Leilani smirked before ramming into Reva's small body. It wasn't even ten seconds before Leilani was able to pin her. "One…two…three!" Sammy rang the cowbell. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!" Sammy held up Leilani's hand. Leilani bowed.

"Well, she had three pillows," Reva said.

Rosie laughed and stood. "That was fun. Now who wants watermelon?'

Reva popped up. "I do! I do! I do!"

Rosie nodded and smiled. "I figured, Reva."

"Mami is calling," Gabriella announced later that night. Troy, Leilani and Emil had moved in after their parents left for Maine. The plan was that they were going to live with Chad, but Emil had somehow persuaded his parents to let them stay here.

Gabriella answered her phone and put it on speaker. "Hey, mami. How was the concert in…Montana?"

_"It was good. I love the fans and how they cheer me on." _

"That's good. Hey, how are Owen and Elena?"

_"They're great. Elena keeps asking for Sammy." _

"She does?" Sammy grinned. "Tell her I miss her!"

Rayline laughed. _"Okay, I will when I can, Sam."_

"Thanks!"

"Hey mom, are you going to make it for my birthday?' Selena asked. Her birthday was in a week and she was really hoping to have her mom there. Rayline sighed. "I don't know, sweetie. If not, I'll send in Skype and send you a present."

Selena sighed disconsolately. "Okay. And, you know, it's okay if you're not coming. I didn't even…care for it." Selena sighed and walked out of the kitchen.

"Selena?" Rayline said dreadfully.

"We'll call you later, mom," Gabriella said. "We love you."

"Love you too. And tell Selena I'll try my very best. I feel bad letting her down."

"It's okay, mom," Reva said. "We'll see if we can talk to her."

"Thank you, chicas. Okay, I have to go. Bye."

"Bye." Gabriella ended the call and turned to Reva. "I'll go talk to her and see if I can reason with her." Reva nodded and sat down on the stool. Gabriella walked up to Selena's room and knocked lightly on the door. "Selena?"

"It's open," Selena sniffed. Gabriella opened the door and closed it after her. Selena was sat on her bed, wiping at her eyes. Gabriella sat down next to her. "Sel, you know mom is trying."

"I know, I know, but I want her to be there. I miss mom, Gabs. I miss her really badly and I know I saw her a few weeks ago, but I still miss her."

"Selena, you know she's trying," Gabriella said. "She's on tour. She can't just drop it all for your birthday. I mean, it would be great, but she can't."

"I hate this." Selena flopped back on her bed and sighed. "I hate it! Normal people think that this life is so glamorous and awesome, but it's not. I mean, it is most of the time, but not all the time. I'm grateful for who I am but I just want to be an ordinary girl." Selena looked at Gabriella. "Does that make any sense?"

Gabriella smiled faintly. "Of course it does. I feel the same. Wait here." Gabriella stood and walked out of the room. Selena sat up and waited until she came back. After a minute, the door opened again and Gabriella slipped in. "I want to show you something." She opened her lyrics book to a page. "Don't get me wrong I love who I am I don't want to be ungrateful it probably sounds strange. I really love the role I play, the songs I sing, but with all the fame. The things that seem so simple are suddenly so far out of reach I wish that they could see that underneath…I'm just an ordinary girl."

Selena smiled and put the book by her side. "Sometimes I'm lazy I get bored. I get scared I feel ignored. I feel happy, I get silly. I choke on my own words I make wishes, I have dreams and I still want to believe anything can happen in this world for an ordinary girl like you like me. For any ordinary girl, like you like me."

"I totally get it," Gabriella said and grinned at Selena. Selena grinned back and hugged her. "Thanks, Gabs. Seriously, you're the best sister ever. But don't tell Reva."

Gabriella laughed. Reva had said the same thing to her a week before they were leaving to New Mexico. "Sure, I promise."

"Hey guys, we're about to get into the pool," Reva announced as she came into the room. She rushed to her drawer and started bringing out bikinis. "Let's show our boyfriends what we can pull off. Oh, and Sel, Leilani brought a special guest to this party."

"Who?" Selena grabbed the little red and white halter bikini.

"That's confidential until you get outside. Now, go get changed."

Selena eyed her for a second before going to her connected bathroom. Gabriella looked at Reva. "Who's here for Selena?"

"Howard Leering. Leilani and the Twins told me that he's one of the guys you picked for Maxine. But we also have someone here for Maxine too. Nick Copper so it's a win-win."

Gabriella grinned. "Good. Hopefully they'll hit it off."

Reva nodded. "Now get out so I can change." She pushed Gabriella out and closed the door.

…

"No!" Gabriella squealed as Troy grabbed her. He grabbed her torso while Emil grabbed her legs. Gabriella squealed as they threw her into the pool. When she resurfaced she glared at them. "I hate you guys!"

"Well at least they didn't throw your tarantula in here!" Sammy said as he came up form under water. He had Yoda in a freezer bag. "Yoda can't swim so I keep him in here."

Reva screamed as Emil lifted her up and tossed her in the pool. Troy did the same with Leilani. "Is this take-girls-off-their-beach-chairs-and-throw-them-into-the-pool day?"

Emil jumped into the pool with Troy. "No. It's couples day. Looks like Selena and Maxine are getting their couple on."

Gabriella and Reva and Leilani looked to Maxine and Selena as they chatted it up with Nick and Howard.

"Now all that I need to do is get a boyfriend," Leilani said. Troy shook his head. "You don't need one."

"Baby brother, I'm older than you so I'm allowed to get a boyfriend."

"My goodness, Leilani. For the last fucking time, you are only older by _three _minutes."

Leilani smirked and swam away. Gabriella smiled and swam over to Troy. "She's right. She _is_ older than you."

"Great, now my girlfriend is turning on me." Troy shook his head and pretended to cry. "This world just doesn't make sense anymore."

Gabriella climbed out of the pool with Reva and Leilani. They went back to their lounge chairs and started to sun bathe.

"I can stay like this forever," Reva said. She turned on her stomach and savored the way the sun hammered down on her body.

"Not if you don't want to look like Snooki," Gabriella said and pulled on her sunglasses.

…

"Hey, Sammy, how was school?" Rosie asked as Sammy jumped into the Escalade. Sammy shrugged and pulled down his baseball cap. "Oh, you know same-old-same-old. Fun at school."

"You okay?" Maxine asked. "You hardly ever wear that baseball cap. It messes up you hair that you spend and hour on."

Sammy shrugged and pulled the cap down over his eye. "This guys at school said that it looks nice on me. So I think I'll wear it everyday. Including at night."

Maxine eyes him apprehensively for a second before turning back around. When they arrived at the house, Sammy fled form his seat and into the house. Everyone looked worried at each other.

"What's with him?" Reva asked Maxine.

Maxine shrugged and started after Sammy. "Sam?" She ran up to his room and knocked on the door. "Sammy, open up." Sammy opened the door and stepped out. His baseball cap was off now and he was wearing a pair of Rosie's sunglasses. "Hey, Maxine," he said nervously. "How's the weather?"

"Sammy, you always ask that question when you're hiding something. What is it?" Maxine took the sunglasses off of his eyes and gasped. "Sammy, who the hell did that to you?" Maxine grabbed his face in her hand and tilted it side to side, examining the huge black eye covering his left eye.

"I…uh, I fell into the mailbox while we were at recess."

"You have no mailbox in your playground, Sammy." Maxine guided Sammy top his bed and they sat down. She looked him straight in the eye. "Now who did this to you?"

"He told me not to snitch!" Sammy exclaimed. When he heard footfalls vibrating off the hallway floor, he snatched the glasses away from Maxine and placed them back on his eyes. Rosie came into the room looking worried. "What is it?"

"Sammy got a black-eyed," Maxine explained then took the sunglasses off of his eyes again. Rosie gasped and crouched down by him. "Who hit you?"

"I fell into a mailbox," Sammy said. "Honest!"

"Sammy, this wasn't something a mailbox can do. So we can prevent this from happening again, I want you to tell me who hit you."

Sammy sighed, defeated. "His name is Brock Channing. He's the toughest, meanest kid in the third grade. He even takes kindergartens lunches and dumps them on them!"

"Wait, he's in third grade? Sammy, you're only in first. I need to call the principal."

But Sammy grasped her arm before she could move. "No! Please don't! Brock will rearrange my face if you tell on him."

Rosie sighed and shook her head. "Maxine, get him some ice. I'll be right back."

Sammy groaned. "Why would he want to beat you up, Sam?" Maxine asked.

"Because he knows I like Cassandra! And he likes Cassandra."

Maxine smiled coyly. "So this is a battle for a girl?"

Sammy nodded timidly. "Yeah, it is. But the thing is, Brock already had five girlfriends! He's being mean and selfish by not letting me have my first one."

Maxine laughed and hugged him. "You guys are only in elementary school. Why are you worrying about this?"

"Because you're only cool if you got a girlfriend or boyfriend," Sammy explained. "It's the rule of East High Elementary."

Maxine shook her head and stood. "Well, why don't we go downstairs and get a Popsicle and ice."

"Ice?"

"You need it for your eye. Can't have it swell up. Then Cassandra wouldn't like the way you look."

Sammy's eyes went wide. He started combing his fingers through his hair. "I can never not look hot, Max. You should know that."

"What happened?" Reva gasped as her and Emil were walking out of her room.

"Sammy got beat on by this third grader," Maxine explained.

"He wants to date Cassandra, but he had like ten girlfriends already. It's my turn to shine. This hair will win over anything." Sammy grinned. "And maybe even this black-eye. It makes me look tough."

"Yeah, girls like tough guys with muscle," Emil said. Sammy beamed up at him. "Really? What else do they like?" Sammy moved next to him.

"Let's talk about," Emil said and led Sammy back into Reva's room. Reva frowned. "Well, I guess that make-out session is off the list."

Maxine laughed and they walked down the steps.

…

"Okay, one…two…three." Gabriella and Troy butted their chest together. Gabriella laughed as she fell back on the bed. She rubbed her chest. "Dammit, Troy. You seriously are pecked." She looked at his naked chest and smiled demurely. "It's like you're photos-hoped."

Troy grinned. They had decided to strip down to their underwear and watch old movies. But then they started talking about that new movie Friends With Benefits and butted their chest together.

Gabriella sat up. She held her hair up into a loose ponytail and tied her zebra printed scrunchie around it. Tresses of hair fell sloppily into her face. There was a knock on her door before it opened. In walked Selena, Leilani and Maxine. "Hey, you guys—" Selena stopped talking abruptly and her eyebrows rose.

"You guys really should knock," Gabriella said. She grabbed her blanket and held it up to cover her half-naked body. "And before you ask, we weren't having sex we were doing what Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake did in FWB."

"Oh, I can't wait to see that movie," Maxine said, plopping down in the moon chair besides her bed. Troy and Gabriella quickly shimmied into their clothes.

"Troy and me were going to go see it," Gabriella said. "You guys gonna come?"

"Yeah."

"We're all underage," Leilani announced. "They won't let us go into an R-rated movie."

"Yeah they will," Gabriella said. "We just say to Rosie that we're there to see another movie and then sneak out to the theater playing FWB."

"That's horrible," Maxine commented. "But I like it."

…

"Did you straighten everything out with the principal, Rosie?" Maxine asked the next day. After Rosie picked up the girls and Troy and Emil, they set off to pick up Sammy. Rosie nodded and pulled up by the curb. "Yup. He said he'll talk to Brock's parents."

Sammy walked out of school. He had his baseball cap on and over it was his hood. He had his sunglasses held securely over his eyes and his head and leaned toward the ground. Everyone in the car shot each other worried looks.

Sammy climbed into the Escalade. He squeezed in between Maxine and Troy and kept his head low.

"What happened with Brock?" Troy asked.

"Oh, uh…well, you see, he and I had a talk. I punched him in front of Cassandra because Emil said girls like tough guys. And then…"

"Then…?"

"And then we started fighting and…"

"Sammy, get on with it already."

"And he did this." Sammy took off his cap and hood. He removed the sunglasses and everyone took short intakes of breath. His other eye had a black eye and his lip was puffy and bleeding. A purple bruise settled under his eye. "His dad is the principal and his mom is the vice principal," Sammy explained. "They told him not to do it again, but he did." Sammy's eyes peeked over Troy and he gasped. A boy with girls clinging onto him was striding out of the front entrance. The boy me Sammy's eyes and he grinned.

Sammy sunk low in his seat. "One of the girls was Cassandra."

"He looks mean," Gabriella commented. "And someone should do something." Sammy shrugged and pulled his cap back on.

"Hold on," Rosie said. She got out of the car and started walking to the school. Everyone in the car shared confused expressions.

Rosie opened the doors of the school. She walked straight to the principal's office and opened the door without knocking. "Okay, listen up." Rosie leaned on his desk and looked into his startled eyes. "Your son Brock Channing is messing around and beating up my nephew Sammy Williams. He has two black eyes, a busted lip and a bruise under his eye. I demand you either suspend that boy or do something. Especially since Sam is a first grader and Brock is a third grader."

Principal Channing sighed and folded his hands together. "Miss Williams, Brock has told me that your nephew has been picking on him and calling him names. He is just doing what most boys do. Plus, I bet they're just playing."

"No, they are not." Rosie frowned. "And Sammy does no such thing! Sammy always has that terrified look on his face when he comes home from school. I try to ignore it, but when he came home with that black eye yesterday, I know it's time to end."

Principal Channing sighed once more. "Boys are boys, Miss Williams. We can't stop what they do."

"Yes you can. Do you know how many kids commit suicide because they're pushed around? I know it's a little too early for Sammy to think about that, but it's true. And if you don't address this matter, I will go to the board."

"Miss Williams, what am I supposed to do? Suspend my own son? Maybe you should tell Mr. Williams to buff up a bit."

"Buff up a bit…?" Rosie laughed cynically. "Buff up a bit? He's six!" Rosie laughed again, but it wasn't a happy laugh. "Why don't you tell your son to get a _fucking life_ and stop messing with my nephew?"

Principal Channing gasped. "I will not tolerate that kind of language in my school."

"Yeah, well maybe you should not tolerate that kind of bullying in your school as well," Rosie spat back. "And tell Brock he can stick his little fist up his little as—"

"Rosie." Rosie and Principal Channing looked to the door. Leilani and Maxine hung in. "The paps are crazy out there. They're seriously knocking the car back and forth. Mind hurrying up a bit?"

Rosie nodded and ran a hand over her flustered face. "Yes. Yeah, I am." She turned back to Principal Channing. "And I will get the board involved in this. I'll make sure that boy is _expelled_." Rosie glared at him for a second more before turning and exiting with the girls. Maxine looked to Rosie shocked. "What did you say to him? He looked mad."

"Yeah, well maybe he'll think twice before messing with my family." Rosie sighed and they pushed their way into the car. Rosie honked and the paps scattered out of the way. Rosie sped off down the road.

"What happened?" Sammy asked.

"I confronted your principal and told him to do something with the matter," Rosie said resolutely. "Or else I would confront the board."

"Is that bad?"

"Yeah."

Minutes later Rosie pulled up into the driveway. Everyone jumped out of the car. "Why don't we use our cars?" Gabriella asked. She looked at the row of cars in the driveway.

"Because carpooling helps save gas. The gas is over four dollars," Rosie answered. "But if you want, you guys can drive to school and back."

"Help me with my homework," Troy said. He pulled Gabriella by the waist to her room and locked the door. "What subject?" Gabriella asked. Troy grinned and pushed her softly onto the bed. "The human body."

"Huh?" Then realization dawned over her. She grinned up at him and tugged on his shirt collar so his lips would come to hers. "I think I know where you're going."

"You better." And then Troy pushed his lips hard to hers.

…

"Hey, Troy, you got a razor?" Emil came out of the bathroom. His face was filled with shaving cream. He looked like the son of Santa Clause. Troy laughed and put down his basketball jersey. "Dude, you look like a skinny Santa. And what do you need shaving cream for. You don't even look like you've been through puberty."

Emil shook his head. He pointed to his chest. "Actually, I beg a differ, brother. I have exactly three chest hairs and six armpit hairs. How's manly for that?"

Troy looked at him for a moment before cracking up. His body doubled over in laughter and Emil grew confused. "Yo, airhead, what's so funny?" Troy shook his head and laughed harder. Emil grew frustrated. "Troy?" When he didn't answer, Emil picked up his baseball. He hurled it at Troy and it hit him in the wrong spot. "Ah, shit!" Troy cursed loudly. He fell to the floor clutching at his painfully aching balls.

It was Emil's turn to laugh. The girls all came rolling into the room. "What's with the laughing?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, Troy started laughing at me when I said that I was actually growing hair and so I hit him hard in the balls with my lucky baseball signed by Chase Utley."

Maxine turned. "So it's basically boys just being their retarded self."

"Hey, watch the name-calling."

"Hey guys, Reyna posted on her wall," Leilani announced, looking up form her phone.

"You're friends with her on facebook?"

"Yes. But only because I want to see what she puts on her wall. What she put was bad."

"How so?" Gabriella stepped up now. She peered over Selena's shoulder and read the post with shadowy eyes. She shook her head.

"What does it say?" Reva asked.

"It's just stupid threats like she could do anything. Let's get to sleep. It's late."

…

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked as she pulled up into the school parking lot. A car screeched to a stop in front of a white line. Another car sped after it, stopping as well. Gabriella and Troy exited her car and watched with curiosity.

"Racing," Troy finally said. "Reyna wants a boyfriend."

"Seriously? So she gets a boyfriend by them racing. They could get hurt."

"And in trouble. Let's go." Troy grabbed the edge of his skateboard and placed it on the ground. Gabriella got on and Troy got on after her. He pushed the skateboard, picking up speed before getting on the board fully. They sped down the parking lot, up the ramp and into the school. Gabriella grinned as the wind they created whisked at her hair. Troy grabbed her waist with one hand and then his locker with his other. They stopped abruptly.

"I like doing that now," Gabriella said. Troy grinned and slipped the board into his locker. "I'm glad you do. Hey, are you free tonight?"

"Um, no. Why?"

"I wanna take you out on a date to an isolated place where no one can interrupt us."

Gabriella grinned. "That sounds perfect. Meet me by the front door at seven?"

"Yeah. I have to go talk to coach about basketball, you'll be okay walking to class alone?"

"Duh, Troy. I'm not handicap. Go." Gabriella gave his shoulder a bit of a push. Troy smiled and kissed her on the cheek before walking off. "Aw, how cute," a voice said behind her. Gabriella spun around and frowned when she saw Reyna. Reyna smiled and dug her hand into the pocket of a guys pants that stood next to her. He stood about six feet seven inches and had charming black hair. His green eyes pierced into Gabriella and it sent shivers down her spine. My god, he was good-looking, but also intimidating and chilling. "What do you want, Reyna?" Gabriella managed to look back at her.

"I want you to meet my new boyfriend Hunter Prince." Reyna grinned haughtily at Hunter as if being a partner with him set off an innovative, interesting and intimidating vibe. And in a way, it did. But Gabriella rolled her eyes and leaned against Troy's locker. On instinct she reached up to grab the T necklace Troy had given her and the necklace her mom had given her before she left. "Okay, now what?"

"I want your opinion," Reyna said mischievously. "Don't you think he's hot?"

"He looks nice. But I have to go. And by the way, if you're going to go into the bathroom for a fuck, I'd lock the doors so no one walks in on you…again."

Reyna gave her a condescension look. "Listen, bitch. All I really wanted to say was watch your back."

"Thanks, Reyna. I really appreciate it," Gabriella said sarcastically. "But I have to go." Gabriella grinned. "See ya." Gabriella turned and went off to homeroom.

…

"You've been avoiding practices," Chad said as troy entered the gym. Troy shrugged and held his hands out. Chad passed the ball to him and Troy turned to make a shot. When the ball flew into the net with a _swish, _Troy grinned. "And the champ still has it."

Chad retrieved the ball. "You'll always have it. But obviously not with Gabriella in the picture." Chad passed the ball to Troy again but with more force. Troy looked at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that with you focusing on fucking Gabriella, you aren't winning us a game."

"Wait, what? First of all, our love life isn't just fucking, Chad. Get it straight. We love each other and I wouldn't give it up for anything."

"Not even a winning trophy?"

"Chad, there's twelve other people on the team. Not just me. And winning isn't everything."

"Yes it is. And with you here, you lead us to infinity and beyond, but not if you're worried about the celebrity."

"I thought you were cool with Gabriella."

"I was before she came in and stopped you from practicing."

"Dude, you're acting like I quit the team."

"You are. Honestly, Troy. Have you ever practiced since Gabriella was here?"

"You know, I think you're being so worked up about nothing. So why don't you butt the hell out of my life."

"She's hurting your chance at going to U of A or Duke. Do you seriously want to throw it all away for _her_?"

"You're acting like she's nothing."

"I think you should cut it off with her," Chad said. He plucked another ball and started throwing free-throws. Troy watched in astonishment. "Cut it off with her? Who do you think you are? Last time I checked, you were my best friend." Troy shook his head. "But I doubt that now."

"Dude, she's going to ruin your life!"

"Whatever, Chad. I'm going." Troy threw the ball. Chad quickly ducked it and watched as Troy left the room. Reyna took his spot and smiled puckishly at Chad. "Hey, Chaddy. I have a proposition for you."

Chad looked at where Troy stood for a second before looking back at Reyna. "I don't know…"

"It's about Troy and Gabriella. A way to make Troy the basketball fanatic he was before."

Chad looked thoughtful for a moment then he nodded. "Okay, I'm listening."

…

"Hey." Gabriella looked up from her science experiment. Hunter approached her looking even godlier. Gabriella felt her throat close dry. "Hi."

"I'm good at science," Hunter said. "Look, you're doing it wrong. Let me help you." Hunter moved behind Gabriella. He grabbed her wrist in his big hands and helped her pour a bit of the pink fluid into the green. A small puff of smoke licked out of the beaker. It smelled good. Like cinnamon and flowers mixed together. Gabriella turned her neck to look at Hunter. "Wow."

Hunter rubbed her arms before moving next to her. "You have to pour the right amount first."He looked down at her hands. He grabbed them. "Your hands are so strong. Do you play the piano?"

"Yeah," Gabriella said dazedly. She swallowed harshly as Hunter rubbed the skin on her knuckles. "I play, too."

"You do?"

"Yes. We can play together if you'd like."

"I'd love that," Gabriella breathed. She looked up into his eyes. They were so mesmerizing and mysterious. She felt herself falling and falling until…

_Thud! _

Gabriella gasped as she felt hot pain swim around her head. She had fallen out of her seat and hit her head hard on the linoleum floor. Hunter was quick to help her up. "Gabriella, are you okay? That was quite a fall."

"I'm fine," Gabriella grumbled and reached up to her pounding head. Her fingers swiped softly against a huge gash and blood stained her fingers. "My goodness, how'd you fall?" Miss K asked as she came into the scene. She examined Gabriella head. "Go to the nurse's office. Hunter, would you go with her?"

"Yes, ma'am," Hunter said. He smiled charmingly before helping Gabriella out of the room. "I don't know what happened," Gabriella said. Her face felt hot and flushed and she didn't know why.

"It was probably the smell of the experiment that caught you off track. Or maybe something else." Hunter leaned into her and Gabriella moved away. They walked into the nurse's office and Miss Tinner looked at them. "Well, how may I help you two today?"

"Gabriella has busted her head open," Hunter explained. Miss Tinner pushed Gabriella's head down gently and examined the gash. "My, that is big. But nothing alcohol couldn't do. It doesn't look like you'll need stitches."

Gabriella nodded and sat down. Miss Tinner started cleaning the cut. When she finished, she let Gabriella and Hunter go. "Feels weird," Gabriella said. She touched at the gash sensually. "And disgusting."

Hunter laughed. "Yeah, it probably would." They opened the door to the classroom and stepped in. Gabriella sat back in her seat and Hunter took his previous seat. Gabriella couldn't help but look back at him.

…

"This looks really dangerous," Gabriella said. She eyed a needle skeptically and hid behind Troy.

"How is it dangerous? People do it everyday. It's like going to the doctors and getting a shot." Troy smiled brilliantly. "You're not scared, are you?"

"Of course not," Gabriella lied. "Why would I be scared of a needle?"

"You don't have to donate if you don't want to, Brie. They aren't making you do it."

Gabriella shrugged wearily and turned to walk away. But Reyna jumped in front of her to stop her. "Hey there, Gabriella. Aren't you donating?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, why not?" Reyna tilted her head and smiled. "You aren't scared…are you?"

"Of course I'm not."

"Look Reyna, we really have to go," Troy said. He grabbed Gabriella's arm and started pulling her away, but Reyna stopped them again. "Not so fast. Donating blood to our local hospital is a good charity, don't you think?"

"Alright, fine! You want me to take the damn needle then I'll take it." Gabriella turned back around and her eyes went wide when she saw the sharp needle penetrate deep into a boy's arm. But he didn't even flinch. Gabriella grabbed her arm and walked forward into the room.

"You're donating?" a plump nurse asked. Gabriella nodded despairingly and the lady smiled. She guided Gabriella into a seat and brought out a needle. "It feels like a cat scratch," the lady explained. "Or a really long pinch, but the pain will ease away."

Gabriella nodded and watched as the nurse wiped at her arm. She then lowered the needle and it pricked Gabriella's skin making a bulb of blood seep out and run down her arm. Gabriella felt her stomach clench tightly and she felt the wooziness swarm around her head. The blood continued to drip and Gabriella's eyes began to droop. "Dear Lord," she breathed and blacked out.

Gabriella's eyes came open. She was laying on something soft and fuzzy. "Gabriella?" Her eyes moved over to the chair next to her. Troy sat there. "You okay? You've been out for about thirty minutes."

Gabriella nodded and sat up. "What happened?"

"You got a needle and passed out. I didn't know blood made you queasy."

Gabriella shrugged. "I didn't know either. I never passed out at all the other times I've seen blood."

"Well you did there." He paused. "Hey, who's Hunter?"

"Hunter?" Gabriella said. Her palms started sweating and she bit her lip. "Yeah, Hunter. Um, he's Reyna's new boyfriend and I fell in science so he helped me to the nurse's office. He's just a friend."

"Oh," Troy said quietly. He started pulling restlessly at his shirt. Gabriella squirmed in her seat before jumping off of it and striding over to Troy. She sat on his lap and looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't be jealous," she whispered. "Hunter is nothing compared to you."

"I'm not jealous," he said. "I'm just cautious."

Gabriella bit her lip to hold back a grin. "Cautious of what?"

"Of other boys. Do you see how they look at you? It's like you're the delicious prey and they're the big predators."

"Well, Troy, I'm a big celebrity. Girls look at me that way too."

Troy chuckled. "But I doubt that they actually want to go out with you."

Gabriella tilted her head forwards and smirked at him. "Wanna bet?"

Troy smiled and kissed her slowly and attentively on the lips. Just to remember that Troy was the only guy for her, Gabriella pushed her lips harder onto his. Her arms slowly slid up his broad shoulders and her hands settled at the back of his neck, sensually playing with the dark brown hairs that swept down in thick and curly waves.

Troy's fingers brushed against her sides making Gabriella squirm and shiver beneath his touch. She felt a moan vibrate from the back of her throat as Troy pushed his tongue into her mouth and she leaned into him even more.

This was one of the Oh My God type kisses that made Gabriella's head spin and her body tingle with joy. It made her think of how she got here to this town in New Mexico and met him. The most charming, sensitive, funny and amazingly great guy she had ever met.

Gabriella reached hastily behind her for Troy's hand. She moved it slowly against the side of her stomach and then moved it to cup the bottom of her breast. She felt Troy's chuckle slither past his soft lips and Gabriella smiled.

"Eh-hem!" A voice hissed. Gabriella and Troy quickly broke apart as if they were electrocuted. Gabriella slid off his lap and stood, Troy following after her. Miss Tinner stood there, smiling with a hint of humor laced in her green eyes. "Well, I see that you're up and well, Miss Montez."

"Yes, Miss Tinner. I feel great, actually."

Miss Tinner bit her lip trying to hold back a laugh as if that sentence held two meanings. "Well, that's good. I called your guardian Rosie to pick you up. Will you be okay if I let you go now? No more falls, I presume?"

"Totally—I mean, yes. Definitely. I'll be okay, I promise I won't fall."

Miss Tinner smiled vibrantly. "Okay. Good luck. Oh." Miss Tinner chuckled and lowered her framed glasses on them. "And be careful." Gabriella blushed when she found that that warning had _two _meanings. She hurriedly walked out of the room with Troy. "That was embarrassing," Gabriella breathed.

Troy shrugged. "Not really. Miss T is cool. I bet she'd let us slide if we were having sex on top of her desk and getting cum on all of her paper—"

"Troy!" Gabriella scowled. She buried her head in her hands and shook her head. "If I get any redder, I'll be a skinny tomato."

"A skinny tomato?" Troy said, chuckling. He pried her hands off of her face and looked down adoringly at her. "And yet, I'd still love you."

"Aw, how sweet," she cooed and hugged him. "You wanna help with Sel's party later on?"

"Of course. What's the theme?"

"Just a regular party. Streamers, balloons, a huge cake with rocket's soaring out of it, maybe a really famous band or two like Owl City or Backstreet Boys, hundreds of presents—"

"Let me stop you there, party planner," Troy said, stopping her from walking anymore. Gabriella looked up at him bemused. "You aren't in LA, Brie. How about a regular, _regular_ birthday party. Not the outgoing big parties in LA where everyone that is famous will attend. Just a couple friends and family, a cake, presents, streamers and balloons."

"That would probably be a good idea. Especially since it doesn't involve a circus."

"A circus? Seriously Gabriella?"

"What? She got one on her sweet sixteenth."

Troy laughed. "And that is why I love you guys. Hey, you should call Rosie and say we can drive ourselves back home," Troy suggested.

Gabriella nodded and pulled out her phone. She quickly texted Rosie. "Okay…and done. Let's go, lover boy." They walked out to Troy's truck. Gabriella had willingly given up her car since Troy already had one and she didn't want to make him give Delilah up.

"What's happening at Sammy's school?" Gabriella questioned. She peered out the window. A huge crowd of kids were all bunched into a circle shouting and screaming. "Do you think it's Sammy?" Gabriella asked. Troy shrugged and quickly parked on the curb. Gabriella slipped on Troy's hoodie, her sunglasses and then put the hood up to cover her face. They got out of the car and ran to the scene.

"Shit, that is Sammy," Gabriella said. Sammy was trapped under Brock as Brock hit him repeatedly. "Hey, break it up!" she yelled. All the kids fell silent and looked her way. Gabriella felt a wave of satisfaction dawn over her. So this is what it felt like to control little kids. However, she wasn't expecting the next part in their dead silence.

"It's Gabriella Montez!" a girl squeaked. It took the kids a moment for register her real face. Then they all started rushing up to her asking for autographs. Troy walked over to Brock and Sammy. Brock looked up at him with huge eyes. "Dude, you're huge."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said before scooping Sammy up. Brock stomped his foot. "Hey! Who do you think you are? You can't just come here and take kids like you own them."

"He's my friend's brother," Troy explained.

"What in the world is going on here?" Principal Channing and a group of teachers exited the building.

"Dad, Sam hit me!" Brock exclaimed. "I was just playing tag with my friends and Sam came over here and hit me. I have the bruise to prove it." Brock lifted his arm and there laid a hefty purple bruise. Troy eyed the bruise and could instantly tell it was make-up.

"He took the first punch!" Brock let a fake tear slip. "Honest. You can even ask them." Brock looked back at the other kids with eyes of fury. They understood quickly and agreed with Brock's story.

"And who are they?" Principal Channing asked, looking at Troy and Gabriella. Gabriella quickly slipped from the kids and to Troy and Sammy. "This is Troy Bolton and I'm Gabriella Montez. His aunt Rosie is my homeschooled teacher and his sister is our best friend. We were driving home when we saw that Brock was beating up Sammy. It didn't even look like Sammy got a hit so he couldn't have made the first move." Gabriella looked back at Sammy. He had a nose bleed and a busted lip. His right eye was swollen and tightly pinched closed.

"And that bruise is obviously fake," Troy added, nodding to Brock's "bruise".

"And what do you have to say, Mr. Williams?" Principal Channing let his eyes land on Sammy. Sammy wiped off blood from his nose. "Brock started it._ I_ was playing tag with my friends and Brock pushed _me_ down. Then he started punching me." Sammy looked at Brock, daring him to say that it wasn't true. And to his surprise, Brock backed down under his gaze. Principal Channing let his eyes fall on Brock again. "Is this true, Brock?"

Brock looked at Sammy, then at Troy and Gabriella and then at the other kids. He stood up straight and nodded. "Yeah, it's true. But it's only true because Sammy called me fart-breath!"

"I did not!" Sammy yelled. "You said I was weird and a baby for carrying my tarantula Yoda around! When you were actually scared of it."

"Okay, enough," Principal Channing exclaimed. "Brock, in my office _now_. We will have a very, _very_ long and serious talk. Your mother will be involved too."

"No, not mom!" Brock yelled. "She'll take away my bunny!" Brock's eyes went wide when he realized what he just said. Every student started laughing. Including Sammy. "You ready to go?" Troy asked Sammy. Sammy looked up at them and nodded. "Yeah, I am. And thanks for coming to my rescue."

"Why wouldn't we?" Gabriella said. Sammy smiled and they walked to the car, leaving a crying Brock and laughing students. "Karma is a female dog," Gabriella said. Sammy looked at her weird. "Huh? What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Gabriella said and smiled at him. "You want some ice cream from Cold Stones?"

"I'd die if I don't. Of course!"

Gabriella and Troy ordered Sammy a large Root beer Float and then got some ice for his bruises. "I don't wanna!" Sammy whined, pushing the ice away. Gabriella sighed and put the ice down. "Sammy, do you want to look like a blowfish?" Sammy shook his head. "Then let me put this over you bruises."

"But it hurts."

"I know, sweetie. But please do it." Sammy shook his head again. Troy sighed. "Come on, Sam. Look at this." Troy hit his head hard on the steering wheel. Gabriel gasped. "Troy! What the hell?"

Troy came back up. Blood was trickling down his forehead. He reached feebly for the ice wrapped in a napkin Gabriella had and pressed it hard to his cut. "I know it hurts, but it'll look and be better afterwards."

"But you're stronger than me," Sammy insisted but he took the ice anyway. He pressed it to his lip and hissed. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Just be lucky that Rosie isn't here to make you put alcohol on it," Gabriella said, taking the ice away and changed it. "It looks okay now. Put it over your eye." Sammy put it over his eye and sighed. Gabriella turned back around in her seat and Troy started driving again. They pulled up at the house ten minutes later and climbed out of the car. It was still thirty minutes before everyone got out of school and Rosie got out of work.

"Thinking what I'm thinking?" Troy said, coming up behind Gabriella and pulling her close to him. Gabriella giggled. "Yup…I think I know…Just Dance 2!" She quickly ran from his arms. Sammy ran after her, screaming. Troy's eyebrows rose. "Not what I was thinking, but okay." He ran after them. "Hey Gabs, you should do _Crazy in Love_."

…

"Ha! Beat that Elvis," Gabriella said. "Got five stars on _Viva Las Vegas_."

"Well I got five stars on _Barbie Girl_," Troy said. He placed his hand son his hips and plopped down onto the floor. Gabriella shot him a weird look.

"Yeah, well I got five stars on _When I Grow Up_!" Sammy started doing the Sprinkler. "When I grow up I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies!"

"Aw, Sam, you didn't tell me you want to be like me," Gabriella said. Sammy grinned and hugged her. "Let's do Hey Ya!"

"Lucy, I'm home!" Leilani called. Troy, Gabriella and Sammy looked to the door.

"Aw, I can't believe you guys started without me," Reva complained. Everyone came into the house. Maxine gasped as she saw Sammy's face. "Sam!"

"We didn't want to worry you guys about him. That's why I didn't text you," Gabriella explained. Maxine hugged Sammy. "It was Brock again?'

"Yeah, but his dad had a talk with him. And his mom. But he was sad when he got told that because he didn't want his mom to take away his bunny."

Maxine laughed and hugged Sammy again. Leilani walked over to Gabriella and pulled her away from everyone else. "Why did Hunter put a note in my locker?"

"Huh?"

"It's addressed to you. I didn't read it but I want to know why he would want to give you a note."

"He's Reyna's boyfriend, Lei. Plus, we're just…acquaintances, I guess. I just met him today and he took me to the nurse's office when I fell. That's it."

"Are you sure?" Leilani's eyes lowered on Gabriella. Leilani didn't want Troy to have another broken heart and Gabriella knew that. She also knew that she would never in a millions years cheat on Troy.

"Of course I'm sure, Leilani. I would never hurt Troy. I love him and you know that. I'm no ho like Reyna."

Leilani smiled. "I know. Hey, Maxine and I have something to show you guys. Wanna hear it?"

"Not shit, Sherlock. Let me see."

…

"When the darkness sees you lonely, all the world tries to push you away. When your sky is looking troubled you can count on me 'cause I'm gonna stay," Leilani sung softly.

"Put your worries in my pocket, I have a key so we can lock it. I swear that, I won't let them escape," Maxine put in. The trio swayed with the rhythm, smiling as Leilani and Maxine sung.

"Love, it's always worth it, love. Everyone deserves it," they sung together in perfect harmony.

"It's the friend that holds your hand when no body understands."

"Love, it wants to heal you, love. It sees the real you. But you have to open up when you need a little love."

"If there's something you're in need of."

"You're in need of."

"You only have to let me know. I've got a shoulder you can lean on and I'm always right up the road."

"Put your fears in my pocket. I've got a key so we can lock it. And no one won't let them escape." They stopped singing and looked at everyone, eyes filled with determination. Reva smiled and sprung. "Absolutely brilliant!"

"I know, that was amazing," Gabriella agreed.

"We should sing together," Selena suggested. "Sing a song that involves everyone."

"That's an awesome idea!" Sammy exclaimed. He had his sunglasses over his eyes now. "I could play the drums with Selena."

"That you can, my friend." Selena pulled him into her lap and rested her chin on his spiky brown hair.

"I bet Kels has a really great song," Gabriella said. "She always does."

"Dinner's ready!" Rosie yelled from downstairs. Everyone quickly hurried down the steps.

"Wow, no chicken alffredo this time, Rose?" Reva asked as she took a plate of breaded shrimp, string beans and mashed potatoes.

"Nope. I think I should go for something else now. Now eat."

After dinner everyone crowded into the living room to watch Shrek Forever After. Except Rosie. She was planning the preparations fro Selena's birthday party.

"That baby is butt ugly," Sammy said.

"She's an ogre, what do you expect?" Emil said. Sammy shrugged and pulled out Yoda. He started petting him.

"That's how we're going to be when we get married," Reva said to Emil. Emil looked at her as if she had fifty eyes. "Why must you keep bringing up this marriage thing?"

"So you don't want to get married to me when we're older?" Reva said. Her eyes lowered on him, daring him to say no. Emil shook his head frantically. "Of course I want to get married to you. Just in a few decades."

Reva rolled her eyes and pinched under his knee. Emil's body went limp against hers. "What the hell did you do?" Troy asked. He picked up Emil's dead arm and looked at Reva.

"It's a technique my mom taught me. If you find the right spot under someone's knee and pinch it, they'll pass out. But only for like ten minutes."

"No!" Gabriella suddenly squeaked. She had a pillow clutched tightly to her chest and she was basically the only one watching the movie. Besides Sammy and Maxine. "Don't sign the contract."

Selena looked at her. "Seriously, Gabriella? You actually like this?"

Gabriella looked at her. "Shush! It's interesting." She turned back to the screen and gasped. "No! He signed it! Why, Shrek, why?"

Sammy popped up. "Ha-ha-ha! The evil Rumplestiltskin has won again!" He rubbed his hands together, threw his head back and let out an eerie laugh, then fled off and up the stairs. The doorbell rang after that. "Can you open that, Rosie?" Reva called. Rosie peeked her head out of the kitchen and sighed. "Yeah, because I'm so much closer." She walked to the door. Reva smiled. "Thanks. Want some popcorn?" She flung the kernel at Rosie and laughed.

"Sometimes I wonder why I don't charge for this," Rosie muttered as she opened the door.

"Because you love us."

"Julie? Steve? What are you guys doing here," Rosie asked hugging them and ushering them inside. It was lightening and thundering outside. They were soaking wet and shivering. Rosie handed them each a towel and they dried off.

"We got locked up and kicked out of our hotel," Julie said.

Rosie's eyebrows rose. "Huh? How?"

"Well, Steve and I thought it would be funny if we ran down the corridors naked and yelling stupid stuff. The police came and arrested us for a few days and then we were kicked out of the hotel." Julie smiled. "Nice story, eh?"

"Believe me, I've heard worse." Rosie turned her head to the kids and smiled. The she turned back to Julie. "So your vacation was cut short?"

"Yup. And we also realized we missed the kids." Just as she said that, Sammy came bouncing down the steps. When he spotted his parents he smiled brightly and barreled to them, hugging them tightly.

"We heard about Brock," Julie said, examining Sammy's face. "You're okay, right?"

"Yes. Troy and Gabriella came and helped me just as he threatened to pull my eye out," Sammy exclaimed. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, mommy and daddy just thought that it was time to leave."

"Oh. Does that mean we have to leave?"

"Well, yeah. Don't you want to go back home?"

"Yeah…but I also wanna stay here with the trio and Troy and Leilani and Emil and Auntie Rosie."

"Well, I'll tell you what. You go home tonight and then I'll drive you to school on my way to work. And then you can come over here after school."

"Yay!" Sammy grinned.

"Hey mom, hey dad," Maxine said, hugging them. "How was the vacation?"

"Good, good."

"I wish you'd guys had warned me before you came," Rosie said. "They're stuff isn't anywhere near packed."

"That's okay. We'll come pick them up in a day or two."

"Okay, you guys want some food?"

"No thanks. We ate before we arrived. Okay, we'll see you later kids. Give me hugs." Everyone stood and gave Julie and Steve hugs and then they left.

"It will be weird not having you two everyday," Gabriella said, picking up popcorn from between the seats. Troy took the kernels and popped them in his mouth. "Ew, Troy! You have no idea what people do on this couch."

"He sure doesn't," Emil said groggily. He had just woken up. "Especially since I just farted."

"I don't smell—dear lord, what the hell is that smell?" Reva exclaimed. "That is not gas that is a toxic spill." Reva quickly covered her nose and Emil laughed.

* * *

><p>Funny how I had a really short chapter and now I have a long one. (:<p>

Thanks!-Brittany


	19. On Our Way Back to LA

Chapter 19:

On Our Way Back to LA

It was finally November 10th. The day of Selena Montez's birthday. But later on it will be marked one of the worse days ever. Gabriella, Leilani, Troy, Emil and Reva all sneaked up in Selena's room. Maxine and Sammy said that they would be over here in a few.

"Shhh," Gabriella said to Emil when he stepped on a piece of paper. She quickly brought out her can of whipped cream from her bag and sprayed the white foamy stuff on Selena's hand. Reva stifled a laugh and started tickling Selena's nose with a feather. Selena's nose scrunched up, but her hand didn't move. Reva tickled her again and Selena yawned. She wiped at the ticklish sensation and squeaked out loud when she felt the cold foam touch her face. Everyone started laughing at Selena's shocked face.

"Happy birthday!" they all yelled. Rosie, Maxine, Sammy, Julie and Steve came in. Selena laughed and licked her hand. Then she reached out and smeared it across Gabriella's flammable pajamas. Gabriella stepped back and looked down at the mess. Selena laughed and stood.

"Is this everyone?" Selena asked leaning to see out of the bedroom door.

Everyone shared a secret look. "Yup. Sorry, Sel. Were you expecting someone?"

Selena's face fell and she shook her head resignedly. "No."

"Well then get dressed," Reva said. "Look, I have the perfect outfit." Reva pulled a dress from behind her back and Selena smiled. It was a petty mocha cold-shoulder knit dress with sexy shoulder cut-outs and a shaping pleated neckline. The dress looked like it would stop short a few inches above Selena's knees. "Now go get ready," Reva demanded, flinging the dress at her. "We'll be waiting."

"I think we should tell her," Gabriella said when they were out of the room. "She looked completely broken when we told her that no one else was coming."

"Gabs, this is a surprise party. We want her to wait and see her incredulous reaction when mami comes."

Gabriella looked skeptical for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Look, I wanna show you our dresses." Gabriella ushered Maxine, Reva and Leilani into her room. "You have this one, Lei since you have nice boobs," Gabriella decided, handing Leilani a dress. Leilani laughed and looked down at it. It was a turquoise shirred shoulder dress with wide-neck design gathered through the bodice for sensuous shaping. Leilani smiled. "Hm, sexy. I am definitely going to get a boyfriend with this. Thanks, Gabs."

"No problem. Now go get dressed. Here, Rev. you wear this." Gabriella handed over a navy blue flutter-sleeve ruffle dress with sensuous ruching through the bodice finishing with a fabulous frill down one side. Reva's eyes sparkled when she saw it. "Where the hell did you get this dress?"

"That's confidential. And finally, last but certainly not least, Maxine." Gabriella gave Maxine a white sultry and sexy one-shoulder drape dress. The design loved you in all the right places with flattering ruching and a daring asymmetric vent. "And I saved these heels for you." Gabriella handed over a buckle ankle strappy sparkle sling black shines with rhinestones at the vamp. Maxine smiled. "This is so awesome! Thanks, Gabs."

"Don't mention it. Now go get changed." When Maxine left Gabriella pulled out her own outfit. It was a baby blue one-shoulder flutter dress. It was a beautifully flattering knit dress with cascading ruffles down one side. Gabriella started to pull her shirt off, but a weird chill swept up her spin. She quickly spun around and almost lost her breath when she saw Troy standing there. "Give me a heart attack, why don't you." Gabriella reached for the hem of her shirt again and pulled in off of her. Troy grinned and walked to her. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her flush against him.

"That dress is a new kind of sexy," he whispered in her ear. Gabriella felt shivers run down her spine. Gabriella nestled her head in the crook of his neck and licked and bit the soft flesh there. She smiled when her small assault to his neck made a moan vibrate from the back of his throat.

"You shouldn't be talking," Gabriella said and pulled back from him. She rested her hands against his chest and smiled adoringly up at him. "You're totally a new kind of sexy. You should just be called Sexy Boy."

Troy smirked. "You could call me that."

"All right, maybe I will, Sexy Boy." Gabriella smiled and tried to push him away. "Okay Sexy Boy, it's time for me to get dressed."

"Let me help." Before Gabriella could say anything, Troy had already swept her off of her feet and carried her to her bed. Gabriela squealed when her body unexpectedly fell onto the soft bed. Troy grabbed the bottom of her jeans and slowly shimmied then down her legs. Then he sat her up and kissed her softly while he unclasped her bra. Gabriella wrapped one arm around his broad shoulders and pushed herself up against him while her other hand helped her sit up. Troy pulled away from the kiss and then got the dress.

Gabriella helped Troy pull the dress over her head and then she fully slipped into the dress. Troy grinned, kissed her one last time and then pulled her up with him. "Thanks," Gabriella breathed. She walked over to her full-length mirror and fixed the dress. She slipped into her chain-strap rope wedges that stood 4 ½ inches high. After she checked herself once more she went for a little bit of make-up. Troy had said that she didn't need any make-up, but she insisted it.

"You look stunning," Troy complimented. Gabriella smiled and turned to him. She kissed him on the cheek before they exited her room and marched down stairs.

Gabriella walked up to Rosie. "Is my mom still going to make it?"

Rosie smiled and nodded. "Yup. She's at the airport right now actually."

"Good. And thanks, Rosie."

"No problem. Oh, and everything is set up at the park."

"Excellent." Sammy came down the steps in his cute little outfit. He wore a green polo shirt and green and white plaid shorts. He ran up to Gabriella while he ran his fingers through his hair. "Cassandra is coming. I have to look my best. Maxine even put make-up over my bruises."

Gabriella laughed and wiped at his cheek. The make-up wiped off on her thumb. "I don't even wear that much make-up, Sam."

"Well, I have to look pretty. Anyway, Yoda has his own suit too!" Sammy pulled Yoda out of his pocket and held him up. He was settled in Reva's fedora. Gabriella stifled a laugh when Reva came down the stairs. "Hey, my fedora is missing," she announced.

"I know where it is, Rev," Gabriella said. Reva looked at her and then she spotted Sammy and Yoda. "Uh…you can have it, Yoda. That thing got old anyway."

"But you just brought it yesterday," Selena insisted as she came down the steps. She looked stunning. Leilani had curled her short hair and pulled the curls back into a clip. Her tanned skin glowed with the light and the dress hugged her body greatly, showing off her every curve and detail. Reva took a picture. "Hi, birthday girl. Ready to par-tay?" Selena laughed and shook her head.

"Sure."

They blindfolded Selena and then drove off towards the park. Rosie guided Selena out of the Escalade. "One…two…three..."

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday my Selena. Happy birthday to you." When Selena heard the sweet sound of her mother's voice, she yanked the blindfold off and smiled when she saw Rayline standing there with a cake, her boyfriend Owen and his daughter Elena. "Mom," Selena whispered. "You made it."

"Of course I did." Rayline hugged her tightly. "I missed you. I can't believe you're already seventeen."

Selena smiled. "Well, be prepared. Gabriella is turning eighteen soon."

"And that reminds me. I want some hugs from my girls." Gabriella and Reva joined the hug. Reva pulled away and popped a streamer up into the air. "Now let's party!"

…

"Hold still!" Reyna hissed, tightening up Hunter's tie. "What I want you to do is kiss her in front of Troy, got it? Chad will blindfold Gabriella, bring her to you and she'll think you're Troy." Reyna smirked. "And I'll make sure Troy is watching."

"Why don't you just leave them alone, Reyna? You had your chance with Troy and you blew it big time."

"Why don't you say that to my daddy who is paying for your life and your family's life?" Reyna dared and Hunter shut up. "Good. Now, go knock 'em dead, Hunter." Reyna gave him a little push and Hunter was off, striding to the park. For safety reasons, there was a barrier where Selena's party was held and you had to be on the guest list to be invited in. Reyna would use her helicopter and Hunter would ask Gabriella for entrance.

"Name?" the bouncer said, eyeing Hunter. Hunter smiled. "Hunter Prince.'

The bouncer checked the list before shaking his head and looking up at Hunter. "You're not on the list."

"That's probably because I just met he girls yesterday, but Gabriella and I are pretty close to friends."

"Not on the list," he repeated.

"Why don't you tell Gabriella to come here and identify me?"

The bouncer sighed before telling someone else to take his place. He came back a minute later with Gabriella. "This boy says you two know each other?"

"Oh, yeah, we do," Gabriella said nervously. She didn't want to tell Hunter he couldn't come in, but she had a weird feeling that if she did something was bound to happen. Gabriella bit her lip and looked at the bouncer. "He can come in."

"Thank you, Gabriella," Hunter said, walking past the barriers. He spotted Reyna by the concession stand and nodded at her to begin their plan. Reyna smirked and started walking off to find Chad.

"Chad," Reyna said, patting his shoulder. Chad turned to her and smiled. "Hey." He lowered his voice. "Is hunter here?"

"Yup. Tell her you have a big surprise for her and that she needs to blindfolded."

Chad nodded before walking off. He bumped into Troy on the way and both of them narrowed their eyes. "Gabriella insisted on inviting you," Troy said. "Even when I told her what you said."

"Exactly and that's why I'm looking for her," Chad said. "To thank her."

Troy eyed Chad for a moment before turning and talking with Maxine again. Chad ducked away and started searching for Gabriella. He found her dancing and moving with her sisters. "Gabriella!"

Gabriella turned and put on a small smile. "Hey, Chad. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yup. I have a surprise for you and your sisters, but I wanted to give them to you one by one. Care to go first?"

"Um…" Gabriella turned back to her sisters. Their eyebrows rose in confusion. She turned back to Chad and smiled. "Okay."

"Good. Just wear this." Chad pulled out the blindfold and tied it tightly around Gabriella. Then he grabbed her slender shoulders and started guiding her through the crowd. All the while he texted Reyna saying he had got Gabriella.

"Go, he got her," Reyna said to Hunter. Hunter sighed and walked into the crowd. "Almost there," Chad said. "Oh, hey Troy."

Gabriella went to lift her blindfold, but Hunter reached out to stop her. "Gabriella," he said trying to mimic Troy's voice. She seemed to have bought it. "Hm?"

"I want to kiss you before you get your surprise."

"You want to kiss me before I get my surprise? Why?"

"Just because." Hunter gathered her in his arms and pulled her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders just as Reyna came with Troy and then they kissed. That was then when realization poured on Gabriella like cold water. This wansn't Troy's kiss. It was har and urgent. She gasped and jerked away from Hunter. She yanked off the blindfold and stared up at him in shock. "Hunter?"

"Just a friends my ass," Troy seethed. Gabriella looked at him in shock. Troy shook his head and stomped off. "No, Troy! Wait, I didn't know it was him." Gabriella's eyes landed on Reyna. Reyna smirked and waved at her.

"So you got what you want," Gabriella said lowly. Then she turned to Hunter and Chad. "And I can't believe you two. I trusted you Hunter. And you too, Chad." Tears pressed in Gabriella's eyes and that terrible dry and painful sensation got stuck in the back of her throat. "I hope you're happy now." Then she walked away.

"Chad, what is wrong with you?" Taylor pushed through the crowd and walked up to her boyfriend, her eyes full of rage. "I thought you and Troy were best friends."

"We are and that's why I did it," Chad said. "I did it to make him forget about Gabriella like he forgot about basketball. He can't have both."

"He can't but you can?"

"I—I mean, they're new at this so they're all too much in love and that's distracting him. We've been together since Jr. High.

"Well not anymore," Taylor said. She took off his class ring and threw it to the ground. "Have fun at the championships with no one to cheer you on." And with that said she marched off after Gabriella.

"Not the birthday bash I was expecting," Selena said and her, her sisters, Maxine, Leilani, Rosie and Rayline ran after Gabriella and Taylor.

…

"That was something," Emil said, coming up to Troy. Like presumed, Troy was shooting hoops, but he was missing every single shot. Not once did a basketball go in and Emil had a feeling that it wasn't because he hadn't been practicing enough.

"I can't believe she'd do that," Troy seethed. "I love her…I gave her things I have never given to Reyna."

"Troy, are you blind?"

"What?" Troy stopped shooting and turned to Emil.

"It was obvious that she was tricked into kissing hunter. She thought it was you and she couldn't tell because Chad and Reyna had put that blindfold on her," Emil explained. "It's simple. She thought it was you she was kissing. Not Hunter."

But Troy shook his head and continued shooting. "No body forced her to do anything. She was acting nervous when I asked about Hunter. For all I know, she might have even been in an affair with him."

"I wasn't." Troy and Emil turned to Gabriella. "I never liked Hunter, Troy. You have to believe me. And I can't believe you would think I would be in an affair with him."

"You sure did like that kiss."

"Because I thought he was you! It's kind of hard to tell when you're blindfolded, Troy." Gabriella started shaking when he continued shooting the baskets and then she asked quietly, "Don't you believe me?"

"I don't think I sound like a cocky poor guy, Gabriella," Troy said.

"The voice did sound a bit different, but I thought that maybe you ate something or something! I didn't know it would be Hunter, Troy. Please believe me."

Troy finally turned to look at her. Gabriella wanted to melt and cry when she saw the tears pressing into his eyes. "You don't understand how much it hurt seeing you kiss him. Seeing how the person you loved kiss someone else willingly."

"Yes I do," Gabriella said. "I understand completely. When I saw you and Reyna kiss and you didn't back away from her, I was completely heartbroken. But when Hunter kissed me I immediately pulled away because I knew he wasn't you, Troy." Troy sighed and bounced the ball against the pavement a few times. "Say something if you believe me, Troy," she pleaded. "Please."

Troy was silent. Emil looked at the two, trying to read what was going on in their mind. Sure he had seen something like this in movies, but never in real life. "Please," Gabriella whispered again. Troy stopped bouncing the ball and hope filled Gabriella. But it all vanished when Troy just walked away and out of sight.

"I didn't cheat on him," Gabriella said softly. Emil walked to her and put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "I know, Gabriella." Gabriella pulled away from him and sat down on the pavement. She didn't acknowledge the fact that millions of rocks were bruising her tailbone.

"Gabriella," Leilani breathed coming up with everyone else. "Where's Troy?"

"Wherever he wants to be," Gabriella said. "But I don't really give a crap."

"What happened?"

"We're over."

"But you didn't do anything," Leilani said. "Because if you had kissed him on purpose, my foot would be up your ass. No offence by the way."

"None taken."

"I can't believe Chad would do this," Maxine said. "And I can't believe I actually liked him."

"You what?" Taylor came out of the shadows. "You liked him?"

"Taylor—no, I…uh. I liked him as a friend."

"No, you liked him as something more. Did he cheat on me?"

"No, no of course not. I just had this crush on him since I first met him. But I promise to God that I never wanted to take him from you. That's why I started talking with another guy."

"But why didn't you tell me? That's why I'm mad."

"Because I didn't want you to be mad, Taylor."

"Well, how's that working for you?" Taylor shook her head and then turned to Gabriella. "I'm sorry, Gabs. I didn't know Chad would do this." And then she left, but not without sending one last glare to Maxine.

"Not how I planned my visit," Rayline sighed and then walked over to Gabriella. Everyone else followed. "I don't get it," Gabriella said. "I gave him everything and he believes that I kissed Hunter on purpose?"

"Obviously." Reyna stepped forward. "And he's obviously mine."

Gabriella stood up and then smiled sullenly at her. "You really think that, Reyna? You really think that Troy would give a skank ass bitch another shot?"

"You better watch you mouth bitch," Reyna said, stepping closer to her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Leilani said, stepping between them. "No fighting."

"You know, why not?" Gabriella said. "Why the fuck not? She'll just keep coming back and pulling her stupid little schemes on everyone even if it doesn't get her anywhere except on everyone's hate list. Be logical, Reyna. Do you really think people will like you after you've broken up the golden couple?"

"Don't be so full of yourself. You guys weren't even close to a great couple."

"What, and if you get with Troy you think you'd be a great couple?"

"Actually, yeah, I do."

Gabriella laughed cynically. "Okay, believe what you want. But I just have one question…what are you getting out of all of this? Troy certainly won't want you. No one will like you. You'll make the geeks and nerds look popular. So you know what, Reyna? I don't care about what you do anymore. Because you've already done enough to break me." Gabriella took a step back and sighed. "Happy now?"

"Not until I've driven you and your stupid family back to where they came from."

"I used to pity you, Reyna. Especially when someone told me about your mom being a drug addict and your little brother dying and your dad leaving you all. But now I don't care."

"I never pitied you when I heard about your father. I actually laughed. I have a suggestion for you." Reyna lifted her hands and pushed Gabriella sadistically, making her fall backwards. "Burn in hell, bitch. I'll be sure to see you there." Then she walked away. Rayline quickly helped Gabriella up. "Gabriella, are you okay? My god, high school was never this cruel back in the nineteen hundreds."

"I'm fine," Gabriella insisted. She wiped off the back of her dress and sighed. "But I'm ready to go home."

"I'll make some hot chocolate and we can all sit and watch a movie," Rosie said. But Gabriella looked at her forlornly and shook her head. "No, Rosie. I mean, I want to go home. Back in LA."

* * *

><p>Dun, dun, dun!<p> 


	20. On our Way to LA

Chapter 20:

On Our Way to LA

"Gabriella, did you hear what she said?" Selena said. "She wants you to make that decision. Going with it will only make her stronger."

"No, I mean you guys stay here and I'll go back."

"No, it's either all or none," Reva said. "Like you said when I wanted to leave, we're going with you. We're best sisters and sisters take care of each other."

"You don't have to."

Selena stepped up and grabbed her hand. She smiled at Gabriella through her tears. "We _want _to."

…

"There he is," Leilani said. Troy walked into the house two hours later. He looked sober but really, really heartbroken. Which nobody understood. Gabriella hadn't cheated on Troy. She was tricked into kissing Hunter. "They're leaving in tomorrow, Troy," Maxine said. "So you have until then to stop her."

"Why would I stop _her_," Troy said and Gabriella's heart fell. "She can do anything she wants. While she's in LA she's probably fucking the whole community and Hunter."

"Shut up, Troy!" Gabriella demanded, standing up. "I can't believe I actually believed you when you told me you loved me. When you're really just a selfish jerk underneath."

"I'm not going into this again," Troy said. "Goodnight."

"Fine, but don't expect to see me when you wake up in the morning." When he slammed his bedroom door shut it made Gabriella cry harder and get angrier. "Go to hell, Troy!"

…

The next day the trio's bags were packed and they were ready to go.

"Don't go, don't go, don't go!" Sammy cried, hanging onto Reva's leg.

"Sammy, let go of them," Maxine said, prying Sammy away. "They're leaving."

"No one else is coming to say goodbye?" Reva said. She looked over all her friends that she has made here in Albuquerque, but she didn't see Emil, Troy or Leilani. They had stayed home when they left and no one knew why.

"No one else is coming," Gabriella said. But then Emil and Leilani were in show. "Sorry, we're late," Leilani huffed. "Someone tried to keep us from going." She turned her head. Troy was slowly walking up to them, his hands in his pockets. Then Leilani turned back to the trio. "We're really going to miss you guys." After giving everyone one more hug, the trio and Rayline and Owen and Elena were off. Sammy hung onto Maxine and Rosie as the line to gate seven to California started moving onward and then finally departing into the plane. "Bye," he whispered and wiped at his eye.

"Come on, let's go home," Rosie said and every left the airport.

…

Two months later…

The trio walked out onto the stage of The Ellen DeGeneres's Show as the beat of Niki Minaj's Super Bass started playing and the audience roared into applause.

"Wow, you guys look wonderful," Ellen said as they gave each other's hugs and sat down in a seat.

"Thank you," they said at the same time. Ellen laughed. "Wow, robots and celebrities." The girls laughed and so did the crowd. Ellen smiled at them. "So, how is it being back in LA? Does it feel great?"

"Yeah. I mean we're really glad to see our friends and family," Selena answered.

"Well, everyone here wants to know why you guys went to New Mexico. Was it a vacation or something?"

"Yeah, it was sort of a vacation," Gabriella answered. "A little break from the fame world."

Ellen smiled. "And it seems that there was a bit of romance there as well?"

"Yeah, a bit," Reva said, glancing back at Gabriella and Gabriella smiled.

"How did you feel when you came back to Los Angeles and left your guys back?"

"It hurt," Reva answered. "But we still talk and we still talk with all of our other friends."

"Yeah, we met really great people," Selena put in. "They were there to show us clueless celebrities about the normal life."

Ellen laughed. "There could be a show about that. So, what were some flaws about being normal?"

"I got sour milk poured on me," Reva announced. "There was this girl and she pulled a little prank on me and that included pouring sour milk on me."

"Did it stink?"

"Well, yeah. It smelt like fungus or mold mixed with baby powder."

"Mixed with baby powder?" Reva nodded and Ellen shook her head. "Remind me never to use it again. Okay, so Selena your birthday passed. How was it? You're seventeen right?" The crowd went into applause and cheered as Selena nodded.

"Yup. The big one seven. Well, I mean, it's not big, but yeah."

"My god, the first time I had you three on my show was when you guys had no breast and stuff. It's so weird how you guys grew up so fast."

Selena laughed and moved a piece of hair out of her face. "I know."

"Let's talk about Reva's new movie. It's your first movie without your sisters, am I correct? And it's called the Raven Ring?"

Reva nodded. "Yes. And it's kind of weird because I'm used to being on set with my sisters every day and rehearsing with them everyday and now I'm not going to be. But it is exciting at the same time and it's a huge turning point for me and it's telling everyone that I'm finally growing up and that I can do stuff on my own." The crowd went into another applause.

"What is your movie about?"

"It's about a girl named Raven and she finds this ring. She puts it on unaware of the curse that's in it and how it will kill her family. The ring also gives off this power to her and she has to kind of fight it off of her. It's a bit f confusing if you explain it, but you can see it when it comes out to theater November 22nd." The crowd went into applause again. "Oh, and if you don't want to see me die, then you probably don't want to watch it," Reva added.

"You're going to die?"

"You have to wait and see."

"Oh, I thought we were friends. Are we?"

"I mean, yeah. Of course we are. You're just going to have to wait and see."

"No, I don't think we're friends," Ellen said and Reva along with the crowd and her sisters laughed. "Okay, we'll be right back after this break with Gabriella and Reva's love lives." Ellen wiggled her eyebrows and the girls laughed.

…

"Okay, so there is nothing better than love and I have experts here to explain why that is true," Ellen said as the commercials ended. "Gabriella, Reva what do your young minds have to say about love?"

"That it's good and you should cherish it while you can," Gabriella said and the crowd applauded. Ellen leaned in. "Gonna tell us more?"

Gabriella shook her head and smiled. "Nope."

"Well, you aren't my friend either." The crowd laughed again and Ellen smiled. "I'm just messing with you. Okay, so I have this game I want to play with you guys. A couple people who watch this show sent in pictures of other people who look like other celebrities. You have two minutes to identify each picture. Let's start."

On the big screen behind them a picture of someone showed up. "Johnny Depp?" Selena guessed and Ellen laughed.

"I'm pretty sure that's a girl."

"Oh. Then it's Julia Roberts."

"Sure. Okay, next one."

Another picture came onto the screen and Gabriella grinned. "That's easy. Niki Minaj."

"Did the purple and orange hair give her away or did the huge breast?"

Gabriella laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Kind of."

Another picture came up. The girls were quiet trying to identify the celebrity. "You guys seem stuck,' Ellen said.

"Yeah, I mean he kind of looks like Bradley Cooper, but somehow like Cee Lo Green too."

Ellen and the crowd laughed. "I can tell you so many differences that they share. Got any guesses?"

"I'm stuck…"

"How about Michael Myers?" Gabriella said and Ellen nodded.

"Good job."

"What, he doesn't even look like Michael Myers," Reva said.

"Megan Fox," Selena said when the next picture came up. Ellen nodded and the buzzer for time stopped. "Well, I'm not going to lie. You guys did horrible." The crowd and the girls laughed. "But I do have presents for you." Ellen handed them each cameras. "Use those to take some pictures of people and then you can practice your gaming skills."

"Thank you," they said together and Ellen and the crowd started laughing again.

"You guys never get old. Okay, so we'll be back after the commercial with Christine Perri singing _Arms_. Oh, and everyone in the audience is leaving home with the Montez Trio's hit new album _Stars R Rated-X_! " The crowd started applauding and cheering and then it went to commercial.

…

"I think those heels gave me blisters," Selena complained when they were home.

"Look, Leilani called. She watched out interview with Good Morning America," Gabriella announced.

"What's the news in Albuquerque?" Reva asked.

"Nothing much," Gabriella said quietly. "Only that Troy and Reyna are together."

"What?" Selena yanked her shoe off and rushed to Gabriella, Reva by her side. "What do you mean Troy and Reyna are together?"

"Exactly that. And I can't believe him. Troy Bolton is nothing but a big fake. He said that he hated Reyna. He's just doing this to make me mad."

"And he's a jerk for doing so," Reva spat. "I seriously want to beat him up now. When is he going to realize that you didn't cheat on him?"

"You know, I don't give a crap anymore," Gabriella said. "We're back in LA now. We don't have to worry about it. Let's just go to the beach or something."

"The best thing about now is that we don't have to go to school anymore," Reva said.

"When mom get's back she said she's hiring a tutor," Gabriella told her.

"How come we couldn't come with Mom?"

"Because the bus is full," Gabriella answered. "Now, come on. I wanna go to the beach while people are still at work and school."

…

"She didn't text me back," Leilani announced. It was free period and everyone excluding Troy and Chad were sat on campus. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that she's heartbroken," Acelyn said and Charlene nodded.

"I can't believe Troy," Maxine said, narrowing her eyes at him and Reyna as they exited the school. They snuck off to his truck and then drove out of the parking lot. "You aren't even allowed to leave school grounds. This is a new him."

"That no one likes," Kelsi put in quietly.

"Except the hag from hell. Does she even have friends anymore?" Charlene said. Leilani shook her head. "Not since she's driven the trio away."

"You guys still talkin' about them?" Sketcher asked as he came over with Emil.

"What do you want Sketcher?"

"I have several tickets to LA," he said. "First class, too."

"How much?" Maxine asked. Sketcher always had a price for his con side. A very pricey price.

"Free. But Leilani must go on a date with me."

"Deal," Maxine said and Leilani looked shocked at her.

"Deal? I am not going on a date with a freshman. Especially not him. You can forget it."

"Oh, come on, Lei. It's just one date. Do it for Troyella and Eva. Please?"

"Yup. Do it for Troyella and Eva," Sketcher prompted. Leilani groaned. "Fine, fine. Pick me up at six. And don't be late or it's over."

"You got it. I'll give you the tickets after the date." Sketcher started walking away.

"Wait, how do I know they are real?" Leilani said, stopping him. Sketcher turned to her and grinned. He pulled out five tickets from his jacket. "Proof. But they're on EBay if you don't give me this date."

"Fine, fine!" Sketcher smirked and kissed her cheek. Leilani quickly jerked back from him and her face creased with disgust. "See ya later, sweetheart." Then Sketcher walked away with a bit of swag going on.

"The trio better be glad that I love them."

"Hey guys."

Everyone looked up. Chad stood there with his basketball under his arm. The team had ditched him because he was in the plot to destroy Gabriella and Troy's relationship. And even though none of them were crazy with Troyella, they were mad that Chad had messed with Troy and Gabriella period.

"What do you want?" Taylor spat. Taylor had broken it off with Chad because of what he did. Chad only had himself, his family and his basketball Billie. "No one wants you here. Point blank."

Chad ignored her. "So, what are you guys doing?"

"Why are you here Chad?" Maxine asked as well and Chad shot her a bemused glance. He was sure Maxine had a crush on him. Did she hate him, too?

"Look, guys, I'm really sorry—"

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, Chad," Leilani said. "And it's not going to bring the girls back or bring our Troy back is it? Just go."

"All right, fine. I know when I'm not wanted," Chad said dejectedly. "But when you see Troy tell him I'm sorry. Oh, and when you talk to Gabriella, too. I know they probably won't forgive me, but can you just tell them?"

"We'll pass it on," Maxine said. Chad nodded a small thanks before walking away.

The bell rung and everyone made the journey going inside and to their next class. But Kelsi made a detour to the music room. She sighed and sat down on the soft leather bench in front of the grand piano. She placed her hands on the keys, but didn't move them.

"What's wrong?" Maxine entered the room and smiled. "You never cut class, Kels." Kelsi smiled at her. She beckoned her to sit next to her and Maxine did. 'This just doesn't feel right," Kelsi said. "Not without Gabriella. I mean, I know I've played before Gabriella came, but I think I need her voice or something close to it."

"What about me?" Maxine suggested. "I could sing a few bars."

Kelsi smiled. "Sure. Sing this one." Kelsi slid over a song and Maxine looked down at it.

"I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming but there's a voice inside my head saying you'll never reach it. Every step I'm takin'. Every move I make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking. But I gotta keep trying'. Gotta keep my head held high." Maxine smiled. "There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Somehow I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb."

"My god," Kelsi breathed. "That is amazing. How come you've never told me about your voice? It's very, very good."

Maxine shrugged. "I wasn't really comfortable with singing yet."

"You can't hide this talent, Maxine. Sing at the fair."

"I don't know…"

"Please? It'll be really cool and fun and I'll be your pianist. Please?" Maxine sighed and then nodded. Kelsi grinned and hugged her. "Great! Now all we need to think about is what song we're going to sing. Oh! We can also practice at my house, lunch time, free period, anytime you'd like…" But Kelsi's voice became a dim flicker in the back of Maxine's mind as she thought. She really wanted to sing with the trio. With everyone. The trio, Troy, Leilani, Taylor, the twins, Kelsi, Chad, Sharpay, and Ryan. But how was she when Selena, Gabriella and Reva were more than a thousand miles away?

…

Later that day, everyone came over to Rosie's house. Leilani, Troy and Emil still lived there even though the trio had moved away. But Rosie was hardly home now and she worked late hours into the morning at the hospital.

"Look who's here," Leilani said, throwing daggers at Troy as he came into the house. But she was shocked to see Reyna coming after him. "And you brought her? Troy, how could you?"

"Listen, Leilani—"

"No, I won't listen, Troy. You know what you're doing and I can't believe you're doing it. You're only doing it to upset Gabriella."

"No, you're just mad that I've finally won," Reyna said. Leilani threw her daggers at her. "Won what, Reyna? Troy? Popularity? What's the point if you're only doing it to hurt other people and to alleviate your own pain away? What's the point?" Reyna breathed through her nose and didn't say anything. Leilani nodded and then look up at Troy. "And what's your point, Troy? To hurt Gabriella more? Don't you understand that she and Hunter had nothing together?"

"I want to believe that she didn't have anything with hunter, but I can't let myself to."

"Why not? What's there not to believe? Troy, Gabriella _loves_ you. I've never seen love more true than yours."

Troy sighed and walked off and up the steps. Reyna started going after him, but Leilani pushed her back. "Go home," she demanded. "And never show your face in this house again."

"Fine. This house looks like garbage anyway," Reyna said and then stormed out. Leilani went after Troy. She opened the door to his and Emil's room. He was laid out on the bed looking up at his ceiling. "Tell me," Leilani pleaded, sitting down by his legs. "Why won't you believe it?"

"Because I don't want another broken heart. I know how gay and cheesy it sounds, but it's true. My breakup with Reyna was already painful and I don't want to go through with it again."

"You won't." Leilani assured him. "Because Gabriella loves you and I know for real that you love her to death." Leilani pinched his arm and grinned at him. "We're going to LA in a day or so and you're going to get your girl back. No if ands or buts."

"I don't know…"

"Seriously, Troy? Get your ass up and start packing. You're going."

…

The doorbell rang and Leilani sighed. She stretched and then got out of her seat and walked to the door. She opened it and her eyebrow rose. "Sketcher?"

"Hey, babe."

"You're like one hour and thirty minutes early. What are you doing here?"

"We have a date. You didn't forget about the tickets, did you?" He pulled out the tickets from his blazer and smiled at her.

Leilani sighed. "Okay, fine. Come in and let me get ready."

Sketcher grinned and walked into the house. Leilani went up stairs and Sketcher pulled out a bottle of perfume. He sprayed it all over him and grinned. "Ew, what is that? A toxic spill or a seriously messed up cologne spray?" Maxine asked.

"It's called Babe Magnet," Sketcher said.

"What kind of babes are you attracting?" Maxine scoffed before walking out of the room. Sketcher shrugged and sat down on the couch.

A few minutes later Leilani came down the steps in a simple tank top with a v-neck multi-colored cardigan covering her and Paris fit stretch knit-jeans. Sketcher gawked at her as he stood up. "Wow, you look beautiful."

Leilani smiled and put on a fake smile. "Thanks. You look…good too." Sketcher didn't find how she forced the words out of her mouth. Sketcher grinned and linked their arms before they walked out of the house. Leilani's eyes went wide when she found the horrendous smell of his cologne. "My god, Sketcher, what is that smell?"

"It's my new cologne that my brother got me," Sketcher answered. "Like it?"

"Uh, yeah. It's…totally in fashion right now. I hear even big celebrities like Brad Pitt and Bradley Cooper and Jack Gilinhaul are wearing them."

"That is so awesome," Sketcher said. Leilani had to be nice to him and not make any bad comments that would not get her those tickets. "So Sketcher got a job or something?" Leilani asked when they got in his car. It was a Smart Car. Great.

"Well, yeah. I work at my dad's glue factory," he said. Leilani nodded, but her face creased in disgust. A glue factory? She loved horses! "Oh…that's, um, you know…cool."

"Yeah, I know. But when I grow older and get into college I want to be a photographer. My dad said it was stupid and that I should be working in a factory, but no one but yourself can decided who you're gonna be." Leilani looked at him in surprise. But then her creased face turned into a smile. "That's cool. Do you draw, too?"

"Man, do I. I love to draw. It's like a law for me to complete a master piece every week. Hey, who did all of that awesome art work in your house?"

"Oh, it's not really my house. It's my friend's aunt's house and I'm staying there while my parents are in Maine."

"Oh, wow. I wish I could get away from my parents. Get a break from their harassing and stuff."

"But it's always good to have parents around to have you in check," Leilani reminded him .Sketcher nodded. "I know. I do love them, but they can be a bit much, you know. Oh look, we're here." Sketcher pulled up into the parking lot of the movie theaters.

"What movie are we seeing?" Leilani asked as they started walking to the entrance. Sketcher held the door open for her. "Um, whatever you want."

"_Friends With Benefits_?"

"Huh?" Sketcher said. His eyes went wide and Leilani's eyes went wide as well when she figured out why he was so worked up. "No! No! Oh, God, no. I mean the _movie_ Friends With Benefits. Clam down, Sketcher."

"Oh, yeah, I knew that," Sketcher lied. He walked up to the window and paid for the tickets. They got their tickets cut and then went to the counters for snacks. "Want some popcorn?" Sketcher asked.

Leilani nodded and Sketcher paid for a large bag of popcorn. Then they went into the movie theater.

After the movie Leilani came out with soda dripping on her outfit and popcorn stuck in her hair. Sketcher was busy getting yelled at by a huge guy. This is what happened. It was the end of the movie and Sketcher went to stand. He accidentally knocked the popcorn and soda out of a guys hand and the snacks went flying onto Leilani. The guy started yelling at Sketcher and Leilani left, wanting nothing more to get out.

This was kind of like a movie when the girl is surprisingly having a nice time and then the boy ruins it. Well, it wasn't Sketcher's fault…

Leilani sighed and walked back into the theater. "Hey!" The guy stopped yelling at Sketcher and looked up at Leilani startled. "Leave him alone. It's not like he meant it because if he did, I would never want to talk to him again and he wouldn't like that. Now go somewhere before I pour every single bag of popcorn and cup of soda onto you." The guy looked at Sketcher then back at Leilani and then he left. Sketcher fixed his outfit. "I taught him a lesson."

Leilani rolled her eyes and pulled him out of the theater. "Let's go, picture boy."

"So, between a one and a ten, how was this date?" Sketcher asked Leilani when they got into the car. Leilani smiled and looked at him. "Um…how about an eight? It would be a ten if I didn't have soda drenching my clothes and popcorn streaking my hair." Leilani laughed and ran a hand through her hair. A few popcorn kernels rained down out of her hair. "But other than that, it was actually nice and fun."

"Really?" Sketcher smiled. "So I could actually get another date with you? Or maybe something more?"

"Hold up there, Sketcher. I'm a junior and you're a freshman. But yeah, maybe we could go on a few other dates."

"Awesome." A few minutes later Sketcher pulled up at the house. Him and Leilani walked quietly to the porch. The light dinged on and Leilani smiled at Sketcher. "It was a really fun night. Kind of." Leilani laughed and so did Sketcher.

Sketcher nodded and put out his hand. Leilani looked at it then looked back up at Sketcher. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into her and then kissed him. Sketcher's eyes went wide, but he closed them the next second. Leilani pulled back. "That's just a first date kiss. We're not going exclusive or anything. So don't get mad if I get a boyfriend."

"I won't," Sketcher promised.

"Okay. Night, Sketcher."

"Goodnight. Oh and here's the tickets." Sketcher took the five tickets out of his blazer.

Leilani smiled and took them. "Thanks. See you on Monday." Sketcher grinned and walked back to his car. He touched his lips with his hands and did a happy dance. Leilani laughed and went to go back inside.

"How was it?" Maxine asked. Sammy was lying on her lap. She sprung out of her seat making Sammy fall off of the couch, but he didn't wake up. "It was surprisingly a good date," Leilani said. "I even gave him a little kiss."

"What?"

"Shocking, I know, but it was just a kiss to tell him I had a really good time."

"Wow. Look, I have the girls on Skype. They went to the beach." Maxine sat down on the couch and pulled her lap top on her lap. The trio was on the screen. "Leilani how was your date with Sketcher?" Reva asked teasingly. Leilani grinned. "It was actually good. I'm surprised."

'Then why are you drenched and have popcorn in your hair?" Selena asked. Leilani grinned. "Well, It was the end of the movie and Sketcher went to stand. He accidentally knocked the popcorn and soda out of a guys hand and the snacks went flying onto me."

"Wow, seems fun," Gabriella said.

"Not really. Hey, I'm gonna wash up but I'll see—I mean talk to you guys later." Maxine shot Leilani a look and Leilani quickly ran off.

"What was that about?" Reva asked.

"Just Leilani being stupid," Maxine said. "Hey, what are you guys doing tomorrow?"

"Um, we don't have an interview or anything. Maybe just lounge around the house."

"Oh, okay. Look, I gotta go," Maxine said.

"Bye," they said and signed out of Skype. Maxine closed her laptop and bent to pick up Sammy. She slowly carried him up stairs and placed him in his bed.

…

"I'm so excited!" Sharpay exclaimed. Maxine, Leilani, Emil, Troy and Sharpay were at the airport. Kelsi couldn't come because she had some compositions she needed to write. The twins could come because there was only one ticket left and they went everywhere together. Taylor couldn't go because her parents said no and Ryan stayed to help Kelsi. So, Sharpay had stepped up right away.

"Sharpay, I still don't get why you need those bags."

"One for each period of the day. Morning, noon, evening and night," Sharpay said. Maxine shook her head and picked up her one suitcase and one of Sharpay's bags. Sharpay bought three bags. One full of shoes, the other full of purses and the last one was full of her clothes. None of it made sense, but that's why everyone loved Sharpay.

…

"I like this style," Gabriella said. She had cut her bangs off finally and let them hang just above her eyes. Then Selena had straightened her hair out and she looked like a whole new other person. Yesterday after the beach they had also went to the mall and bought tons of stuff. Including a cute border-print boho dress. Gabriella had slipped into that wanting to show off her boho style to the world.

"I wonder what Emil is doing," Reva said, holding up a cute leather bomber jacket to her torso. She smiled and put it down and then turned to her sisters. "And everyone else."

"They're living their lives, Rev. Just like you should be doing," Gabriella said. She rubbed lip gloss onto her lips and smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

"Are you wearing a push-up bra?" Reva asked Selena. Selena smiled and nodded. She cupped her breast with her hands. "Yup. Now my boobs look bigger."

"Your boobs look like Eva Longoria's," Gabriella said then she stood.

"Loco!" Reva exclaimed as her dog came trotting in the room with dirt scattered around his fur. He left brown paw-prints on the clean white carpet. "What have you been doing, Loco?" Reva bent and picked up Loco. "What has mommy's boy been up to? Huh? What has mommy's boy been up to?"

"Reva, all he sees is your gray and white face and doesn't know what the heck you're talking about," Selena said.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about," Reva said. Then she said in her annoying baby voice, "Isn't that right, Loco? Isn't Selena loco? I know." Reva kissed Loco's nose and then left. Selena shook hr head. She jumped slightly when she heard the ring of the doorbell.

"I'll get it," Gabriella said. She departed from the room and down the stairs. Selena followed her. "Who could it be?"

They found out their answer when Gabriella jerked the door open. She and Selena took in sharp gasps. "Guys?" Selena said.

"Troy?" Gabriella looked astonished at him.


	21. Resolved or Not?

Chapter 21:

Resolved or Not?

"What are you guys doing here?" Selena asked as she opened the door wider for them to come in. Gabriella looked at Troy. He had come?

"We missed you guys and Sketcher had tickets to Los Angeles," Leilani explained.

"And it was first class," Sharpay added. "I mean, I took a first class flight to Paris over the summer, but there's no harm in doing it again."

"This is so awesome," Selena said.

"Who's at the door—?" Reva gasped as she came into the room. She put down Loco and ran to Leilani, Maxine and Sharpay, giving them all tight hugs. "What the hell are you guys doing here? Oh, wait! That's why Maxine glared at you over Skype when you said you'd see us later."

"Yup." Leilani grinned. "It's so exciting to be in LA. We asked like four people where you guys lived. They knew the exact address."

"That's not scary at all," Reva said sarcastically. She looked at Troy and gave him a small hug. "Hey, Troy."

"Hey." But as Troy said, he didn't look away from Gabriella.

"So, you guys want a tour of our house?" Selena asked as Reva ran to Emil and kissed him. They agreed and walked off, leaving Troyella alone.

"What happened when we left?" Gabriella asked quietly when Troy went to sit next to her.

"Um, people started shunning me, Chad, Hunter and Reyna. I guess I know how people who are disliked are."

Gabriella tried to crack a smile, but couldn't. "What about Reyna and you? Why did you get with her?"

"I was confused," Troy said.

"About what?"

"About us. I knew that you didn't have anything with Hunter, Gabriella. I just couldn't believe it because I didn't want to get hurt."

Gabriella took his hand and looked him straight in the eye. "You know I would never hurt you, Troy, But I am hurt because you thought that. I love you. I would never betray you."

"And I hate myself for believe that you would." Troy smiled. "But do you hate me?"

Gabriella bit her lip and pressed her lips to his. She wrapped one arm around him and pulled him close to her. She loved the feel of butterflies fluttering around restlessly in her stomach and how she fit perfectly into Troy's arms. She had missed this.

Gabriella pulled away and rested her head on his. "Does that answer your question?"

"God I missed you." Troy pulled her closer to him and pushed his lips onto hers. Gabriella let her other arm slither up his chest and then wrap around his neck.

"See, this was so a good idea," Maxine said as everyone came back in the room. Troyella blocked their ears and stayed in tune with the kiss.

Maxine's phone rang and she pulled it from her pocket. It was Rosie. "Hello?"

_"Maxine, Sammy's missing!"_ Rosie's voice was hysterical and Maxine could obviously tell she had been crying.

"Okay, okay, Rosie calm down. What do you mean he's missing?" That broke apart Troy and Gabriella. They looked back at Maxine with worry. Maxine put Rosie on speaker for everyone to hear. _"Me, your parents and Sammy were walking in the park and then one minute later we can't find him." _

"Okay, Rosie, we're coming home now."

"We're coming with," Reva said. Selena and Gabriella agreed.

_"Hurry!"_ Rosie hissed. "_We told the cops but they said that he has to be gone for seventy-two hours. But time counts and we have to find him now." _

"Okay, okay, we're coming home. Just please keep searching for him."

_"We will. See you when you get here." _

Maxine nodded. "Okay, bye. Love you." Maxine quickly hung the phone up and raced for the door. Everyone raced after her. "I can't believe this," Leilani said.

Gabriella, Troy, Reva and Selena got into Gabriella's car while Maxine, Leilani, Emil and Sharpay got in Leilani's car. "Oh, please God, let him be okay," Maxine whispered, clenching her hands together. Sharpay put a reassuring arm around her and held her close. "Don't worry. We'll find him. I'll have daddy get everyone in the continental US search for him."

Maxine laughed through her tears. "I highly doubt that you'll need to do that. He couldn't have gone that far."

"Maybe _he_ couldn't but someone bigger and stronger than him can." And just like that, fear and nerves raked Maxine's body even more. What if Sammy had been kidnapped? He's probably so scared right now. Maxine inhaled deeply and buried her head in the crook of Sharpay's shoulder.

…

"Sammy!" When everyone arrived home they immediately went home and started search parties. Julie and Steve had arranged phone calls with their family members to make sear parties and search for Sammy. But it's been seven hours already and Sammy was no where to be found.

"He's six!" Julie cried to the police officer. "Where would he be at six years old for seven hours? Or forty-two for that matter."

"Ma'am, calm down," the officer demanded. "We'll check around the woods and see if he's wandered off."

"Thank goodness." Some tension washed away from Julie, but she was still biting her nails worrying about Sammy and where he is.

"He couldn't have just wondered off," Reva said. "What if he was kidnapped?"

"What does your son look like?" the sheriff asked.

"He has spiky brown hair and dark brown eyes. He's about three foot four and when he smiles he has cute little dimples. And he had on a light blue polo shirt and tan khakis."

The sheriff nodded. "Okay, we'll find your son. Now, do you have an enemies or people who don't like you?"

"Uh, no. Not that I know of."

"Okay, thank you."

…

Everyone sat crowded in Rosie's living room, looking up at the clock. It was nearing four AM and Sammy was still nowhere to be found. Maxine sat on the end of the loveseat feeling antsy and her knees shaking and her hands were tightly clenching the air. Reva was knocked out on Emil's lap, Sharpay had went home an hour ago and the only one's still up were Emil, Leilani, Gabriella, Troy, Selena, and Maxine.

"My throat burns," Leilani whispered after she drunk her fourth cup of coffee.

Gabriella groaned and threw her head against Troy's chest. Then that was when Rosie, Julie and Steve came in. "What's the news?" Maxine asked.

"We couldn't find him," Julie answered wretchedly. "But we will find him. We'll make flyers and post his picture up around town. Sharpay's father even said he'd do something about it."

"All we have to do is hope," Maxine said. But then something caught her eye. It was Yoda crawling under the door. Maxine quickly scooped him up. "Yoda's here. That must mean Sammy's near."

…

"No!" Sammy screamed. He started crying when the guy grabbed his small ankle, twisted it, and then yanked Sammy to him. He turned Sammy around and stared at him. "Sit down and be quiet," he demanded. Sammy's finger's tingled. The man had a hockey mask on and if Sammy could just yank it off and run, he could tell someone what this guy is doing. Sammy wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and nodded. "Okay."

The man sighed and leaned back. "Good. You hungry?" He stood and walked to a small fridge in the corner. When he opened it, bugs crawled out. "I have some bologna, pizza and some ice."

"Ice? What kind of person are you? Who has _just_ ice?"

"Would you shut the fuck up and answer the damn question?"

"No, I'm not hungry," Sammy finally answered. The guy turned to stare at him and they had a stare-off. Sammy blinked after a minute and wiped the water away from his eyes. "I wanna go home to my mom and dad."

"And the Montez Trio?"

"They went back to LA. Why?"

The man came and sat down in front of Sammy. "You see, my family is low on money and the Montez Trio isn't. So, if they want you back, they'll have to give me the money I want."

"How much?"

"Fifty million. No less."

Sammy's draw dropped. "That's a lot of money."

The guy grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it is. Now sit tight and shut up. I need a nap." He stood and started walking away. But he turned back to Sammy and smiled. "And of you try and run away, you won't like the consequences." He laughed and walked inside of a room, closing the door behind him.

Sammy stared at the door for a moment before getting up. He was in a small room. The doors were chained and locked and the windows were blocked with wood planks. Sammy spotted a chair and walked over to it. He plopped down into it desolately and waited for the guy to come out.

* * *

><p>So, this is the end of the series of chapters until I right more and come back over to my grandmother's house. Hopefully you'll stay with me! Thanks, oh and REVIEW! (:<p>

Thanks!-Brittany


	22. A Whole Bunch of Surprises

**Chapter 23**

A Whole Bunch of Surprises

**I think my internet is back on! Yay! So, I'll probably update more often. (: **

Sammy let one of his eyes crack open. The sweet smell of bacon filled his nostrils and he smiled. The guy was in front of a stove, flipping pancakes with a few pieces of bacon by his side. Sammy wondered if he could stretch his arm out and take a piece without the guy knowing. "You hungry, kid?" No chance. He didn't even turn around. Sammy sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, I think I'm a bit hungry."

The man turned and handed Sammy a small plate. "Hey, what's your name?" Sammy asked.

"Call me Scar."

Sammy tilted his head to the side. "Is that a tough name? Because I know seven-year-olds who look tougher than you."

Scar slammed his spatula on the counter. Sammy jumped back, terrified. Scar turned and started striding over to Sammy. Sammy covered his face with his hands and started shaking and crying. "Sorry! Sorry, sorry! Please don't hurt me! I was just kidding."

"Keep you mouth closed then," Scar hissed. "Now get up!" He grasped Sammy's arm and yanked him up. Sammy whimpered under his unyielding grasp and let him drag him to a corner. Scar sat him down in a dog bed and stared Sammy straight in the eye. "Tell me where the girls are now."

"My sister and her friends went to LA to get them. I don't know if they're back here or not."

"You better not be lying, kid," Scar threatened.

"Sammy," Sammy said. Scar looked at him confused. "Huh?"

"My name is Sammy, not Kid."

"I know your damn name, kid. But I wanna call you Kid. Is that a problem?"

"No." Sammy fiddled with his hands as Scar took out a cell phone. He punched in a few numbers before pressing the phone to his ear and waiting. "Hey…Yeah, I got him…He doesn't know, but I'm gonna find out…Okay and you better have my money." Scar hung up and plopped down in a seat. Sammy looked at him. "Who was that?"

"You know, a smart kid would just shut up and not talk," Scar spat.

"Well, I have dyslexia," Sammy said. "It means I'm not as smart as some kids, but if I try hard enough I can be."

"Yeah? Well my brother has dyslexia too, but he's smart. So shut up."

"You don't have to be so mean."

"You don't have to be so annoying. And I swear to God if you say that I don't have to be annoying then I'll shoot you right now."

Sammy's mouth went ajar. "Y-you have a gun?"

"Yeah. Scared now?"

"I was scared before," Sammy admitted in a frightened whisper. Then he started crying. "I want to go home!"

"Not until I get my money," Scar said. He reached for a pistol from inside of the kitchen drawer. Sammy watched as he rubbed the butt of it and then placed it on the counter. He turned and looked at Sammy carefully. "Have you done this before?" Sammy asked.

Scar looked at him curiously. "Huh?"

"Have you ever took some kid and threatened to kill them?" Sammy pulled his legs up and rested his chin on his knees. Scar sighed and scratched the back of his neck. He seemed strained. Or scared. As if he didn't _want_ to do this, but he _had_ to do this. "Look, can I be honest with you, kid—uh, Sammy?"

"Sure." Sammy leaned back and sighed.

"My mom has breast cancer and my dad has lung cancer. My brother was shot five times and we have over two hundred thousand dollars in debt with the hospital. Your friends have the money that _I_ need."

"But what if the cops find out what you did and you go into jail and your family has _no_ money at all?"

Scar stood up. The chair scrapped against the hardwood floor and toppled over. Sammy looked up at Scar, his eyes wide. Scar took slow, steady steps towards Sammy and crouched down in front of him. Sammy stared into his green eyes fearfully. "You've been here for a day and I already want to strangle you."

"I'm gonna escape," Sammy said, looking back at him with firm eyes. "And then I'm gonna tell." Sammy gasped as Scar gripped the collar of his shirt and started shaking him. Sammy panicked and swiped at Scar's face. The hokey mask was yanked off and dropped to the floor. Scar looked up at Sammy, eyes wide.

"Hey…you're the mailman," Sammy whispered. "You…there was that shooting on that street on the news. You were shot, too."

"You just killed yourself," Scar spat. He threw Sammy to the floor and stood up straight. He started striding over to the kitchen counter and took the gun off of it, looking down at it with skeptically. He turned to Sammy and Sammy panicked. "You're nice," Sammy said, trying to reason with him. "You always said hi to me and my mom and my dad and Aunt Rosie and Maxine and the trio. So if you're so nice, please don't hurt me."

Sammy hid his face in his arms. Scar sighed and threw the gun back in the drawer. He picked the chair up and then plopped into it. "If they refuse to give me that money, I have no choice but to kill you"' Scar said. He brought out a laptop from the drawer and started typing away on it. Sammy tried to read from his distance, but he could hardly make anything out. "What are you doing?" Sammy decided to ask.

"Making a letter to the trio telling them to send me in fifty million or else I'll kill you. A cold-blooded murder, too."

"I don't know what cold-blooded is, but since it's in the same sentence as murder, then I think it's bad."

"Smart kid." Scar finished up a few more words before mailing it out to the trio. He closed his laptop and turned to Sammy. "Ready to move?"

"Huh?"

"We're going to the park soon. That's we're we'll meet and I'll get some money while they get you."

…

"Look," Selena said, sitting up. Everyone else looked at her, alarmed. "Some guy mailed some letter out to us. It says that he wants fifty million and then we can have Sammy back. We meet him at the park in an hour. If we bring any cops, he'll shoot Sammy."

"What?"Maxine shot out of her seat. "Fifty million? Who has that kind of money?"

"He means from us," Gabriella said quietly.

"But that's a lot of money to give," Reva said.

"But we have to do it," Gabriella said. "It's just fifty million. It won't do any damage to us."

"We should bring the cops," Leilani put in.

"He said if we bring the cops, he'll shoot Sammy." Maxine was in hysterics now. Leilani cradled her close and rubbed soothing circles on her back. Gabriella pulled out her phone and quickly dialed down Rosie's number.

"What are you doing?" Reva asked.

"Calling Rosie to tell her."

"You can't." Reva took the phone away form her and ended it before Rosie could pick it up. "If you do, they'll call the police and Sammy will get hurt. We have to do it alone."

"It's too dangerous," Selena put in. "We don't who this guy is. He could hurt anyone of us _plus_ Sammy. We have to at least tell someone where we're going."

"I'll call Taylor," Leilani said. "If we're not back, she'll tell the police. Did this guy give any information like his name or address?"

Selena checked her laptop again and shook her head. "No. His email is and that's it." Selena sighed and shrugged wearily. She closed her laptop and pushed it aside. "We have to go. If not, he'll do something really bad to Sammy."

"What time do we have to leave?" Maxine asked as she wiped her eyes. Selena looked down at her watch. "Eight o'clock."

…

"They aren't going to do it," Sammy said. Scar sent him a deadly look and jerked the car to a stop. Sammy gasped as he was catapulted forward. His head banged against the dashboard violently. He started to shake and cry. "Shut up," Scar hissed at him. He grabbed Sammy and got out of his car. He moved stealthily to the huge oak tree in the back of the park and watched closely for any movement.

Leilani and Emil decided to stay at home just in case Rosie, Julie and Steve came back while the trio, Troy and Maxine went away to the park. The guy had sent them another e-mail telling them to meet him in the back of the park near the big oak tree with the money. "Sh," Reva hushed Selena. The leaves crinkled and the twigs cracked and moaned beneath their feet. The wet mud made squishy sounds and it only stopped when they saw the guy with Sammy held closely to him. Maxine willed herself not to take off and grab Sammy.

"Glad doing business with you ladies," he said. He walked forward with Sammy while Troy walked forward with the check. "Hand over Sammy first," he said.

"Give me my money first."

"We're not stupid. Look, we'll hand the things over at the same time." Scar thought for a moment before nodding. Sammy watched them with huge eyes. He couldn't let this guy take that much money. Sammy threw his arm up and yet again, the hokey mask flew off of Scar's face. "Sam!" Troy said. He grabbed Sammy and jerked him back to the others. Scar yanked out a gun and a shot eased its way through the night. Everyone fell to the ground, screaming and yelling. But the shot had made its way through a tree trunk instead of human flesh.

"That was a stupid, stupid mistake," Scar said. He raised the gun and pointed it at Sammy. "Wait, wait," Gabriella panted. He looked up into the eyes of Scar as realization dawned over her. "I've seen you before. You…you look like this guy I've met. Ketch."

"Don't get your hopes up," Scar whispered. He pointed the gun back at Sammy, but Gabriella spoke again. "I know you aren't Ketch. But you look so much like him." Maxine looked at Gabriella as her hand inched closer to Sammy. Maybe she could snatch Sammy and protect him. Gabriella shook her head. "You look so much like him."

Scar looked at her for a split second before sighing. He lowered his gun. Troy eyed the weapon. "Ketch is my brother," Scar admitted.

"Ketch got shot?" Sammy questioned. The truth about why Scar was doing this swarmed around Sammy's head.

"What?" Gabriella asked in surprise. She had spent a night with Ketch and it had been partially fun. In that short time, she had gained a liking to Ketch. Not in a romantic type of way, but in a brotherly way. And he got shot?

"Ketch got shot during that shooting a few weeks ago. My mom has breast cancer and my dad has lung cancer. We have a lot of money in debt with the hospital. Two hundred thousand dollars. And I don't have that kind of money," Scar said.

"So you kidnapped Sammy to get the money plus extra money," Gabriella finished. Scar nodded. "We'll give you the money." Selena, Reva, Maxine and Troy looked at Gabriella shocked. "But only two hundred thousand."

"He just kidnapped my brother and threatened to kill him numerous times and you're still letting him get the money?" Maxine asked in disbelief.

"I'm doing this for Ketch," Gabriella said. "Not for him."

"Oh, so you're doing it for a guy who you met for a night? You don't even know them, Gabriella. Why are you being so careless and stupid? There's probably nothing wrong with them."

"Don't call me careless and stupid," Gabriella demanded. "And there is something wrong. Why would he make something like this up?"

"Because he wants money."

"Well don't act like you don't, Maxine! Everyday you always ask for money from us. It's like you're only friends with us because you want our money."

Maxine's face dropped. "That's not true, Gabriella. I would never do that."

"Well, he wouldn't make this up about Ketch and his parents. So just let me do this." Maxine sighed and sat up. She ran a hand through her hair before nodding softly. "Yeah, do it."

"Thank you." Gabriella stood. She pulled out a checkbook and pen from her purse and quickly scribbled down the money amount before handing it over to Scar. Scar took it, looked down at it and smiled. But the smile vanished just as quick as it came.

Police sirens hung in their ears as the police cruisers swerved around the corner. Gabriella looked up at Scar with alarm. "Go!" she told him, pushing him forward. Scar quickly ran to his car and jumped in. He swerved down the street, leaving fumes and skit marks on his trail.

Sammy let out a breath and ran to Maxine, giving her a hug. Maxine hugged him tightly to her as tears trailed down her cheeks. "We have to go," Reva said, helping Selena up. "The police will want answers that we won't have." Maxine picked up Sammy and he rested on her hip as they ran to Gabriella and Selena's car. Gabriella fumbled with her keys, but they fell from her grip. She was about to pick them up when a big, meaty hand stopped her. Her heart stopped as her eyes traveled up his blue sleeve, over his badge and to his face. "Ma'am, may I have a word?" the officer asked.

Gabriella nodded and handed her keys over to Selena. "What's the problem, officer?"

"There was a disturbance in this area," he said. He eyed everyone and then elaborated. "A gunshot."

"We can explain that," Gabriella said timidly. She wasn't a great liar and she knew this wouldn't end well. And that's when Maxine stepped up. "Sir, we just found my little brother. He was kidnapped. His name is Sammy Williams. The guy that had him had a gun. We tried to get Sammy away from him and he pulled the trigger. After that, he ran away in his truck down Wilshire road." Maxine nodded her head to the opposite direction where Scar had gone. "After that, we went to the car, hoping to catch him and turn him into the police."

Gabriella looked at Maxine in surprise. Her face was creased into a frown and she looked absolutely serious. Gabriella found herself almost believe it. The officer nodded and looked at Sammy. "I'd like to bring you all to the station. Follow me and if you don't, you'll all be in serious trouble." And that's when Gabriella's face fell again. Didn't he believe it?

"Yes, officer," Maxine said. She tugged on Gabriella shirt and the two walked to the car. Gabriella took the keys from Selena and they all slipped into the car. The officer got into his police cruiser and rode off towards the station, Gabriella in tow.

When they arrived at the station, they walked in and waited for the officer. He came back in with a guy clad in a brown suit. "I want you kids to tell me the whole truth," the guy in the suit said. "I am Detective Latori. Is what you said true?" His dangerous eyes lowered on all of them, daring them to say it was. Gabriella sighed and shook her head. "No," she said softly.

"Do any of you have a gun?"

"Hold on now," Maxine said. "No, we aren't murderers so get that out of your heads. What we said was partially true. My little brother Sammy was kidnapped and his kidnapper did set off the shot."

"You see, his brother and his parents are in serious debt with the hospital," Gabriella put in. "And so he needed money. He kidnapped Sammy knowing that Sammy had a connecting with my sisters and me and knowing that we had a lot of money. So he e-mailed us telling us to bring in fifty million and meet him at the park. We did and I recognized him. He was my friend's brother and so I made him a deal. I told him I would give him two hundred thousand to pay his debt."

"You all know that this is serious, don't you?" They all nodded. "It's serious that he kidnapped a kid and it's serious that you all let him go."

"We just wanted to make my friend and his parents not in debt with the hospital," Gabriella said.

"But he's a criminal and you let him go," Detective Latori seethed. "That's dangerous and reckless."

"He's not a criminal. He's the mailman," Sammy said.

"Sammy, shush," Maxine said. But Sammy shook his head. "No. He's not a criminal. He's a nice guy. He was just scared that he couldn't make his family better. I guess I would do the same. Wouldn't you?"

"I wouldn't go to those standards," Detective Latori said.

"But what if you had no choice? Would you do it?"

Detective Latori sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. He looked at Sammy and nodded. "Then, yeah. I guess I would do it."

"See? Scar was just doing this because he was scared that something would happen to his family." Detective Latori opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it when someone entered the office. Sammy gasped. It was Scar.

"I can't take the money," Scar said. He handed the check to Gabriella and looked at Detective Latori. "I kidnapped Sammy Williams."

The two police officers standing behind Detective Latori quickly ran to Scar and handcuffed him. "Wait, what about your family?" Sammy asked.

Scar sighed and shrugged as the two police officers walked away with him. "This is how the business works, Sammy," Detective Latori said. "You all may leave now." He nodded his head before turning and leaving. Gabriella looked down at the check in her hands and she shook her head. "We have to give this money to them. We can't let them get in this much debt." Everyone agreed before they left the station.

* * *

><p>I have half of chapter 24 ready. But before I get that one out, tell em what you think of this short chpater.<p> 


	23. A Drunken Night of Gabriella

**Chapter 23:**

**A Drunken Night of A Gabriella  
><strong>

It was a week after everything and everything was finally back to normal. The trio came back to school, Sammy was back home and everything was fine. Gabriella had given three hundred thousand dollars to Ketch and his parents so they could pay off their debt. Ketch had been happy and excited to see Gabriella and Troy had even gained a liking to Ketch.

"I smell bacon," Selena squealed as she eased her way into the kitchen. She picked up a piece of bacon and bit it. She moaned as the taste sizzled in her mouth. "I want to kiss whoever made bacon."

"I bet that persons dead and old," Gabriella said. She walked into the kitchen with Loco in her hands. "Rev, Loco keeps sleeping with me and liking places he should never lick."

"Ew." Reva scrunched up her nose and took Loco from Gabriella. "Loco, we need to get you a girlfriend. And no, it will not be that beagle next door." Loco liked Reva's face and Reva laughed. She set Loco down by his food bowl and Loco munched on his bacon. Troy and Emil then came into the kitchen. "I almost forgot about the fair," Troy said. "They postponed it to the summer."

"Why?"

"The weather is warmer. Duh." Troy sat down and made himself a plate.

"Hey, Troy, Gabriella made a song for you," Leilani said. She came down the steps with Gabriella's lyric book. "It's so cute and adorable."

"Leilani!" Gabriella snatched the book away from her and glared at her. "This book is private. Think of it as a diary."

"I have a career in reading diaries," Emil admitted. "So, I wouldn't say that if I were you."

"Let me see, Brie," Troy said. He grabbed the book from Gabriella and flipped down the last page that was used. Gabriella tried to grab it back, but Troy ran from her while reading. "Troy!" Troy laughed and slipped out the door. Gabriella chased him around the yard. She was surprised when she fell and tumbled onto the sidewalk. "Ouch…" she groaned. Troy stopped running and quickly ran to her. He helped her up and examined her hands smeared with blood, rocks and ash. "Shit, I'm sorry, Brie."

"It's fine." Troy guided her back into the house to wash off her hands.

"That fun backfired," Rosie teased. "You okay, Gabs?"

"Yeah. It's just a little scrap and blood." Gabriella wiped her hands on a napkin and grabbed the book from Troy. "I'll sing it later. But right now, we have to go to school."

Troy nodded and everyone left for the door. Troy bent down to Gabriella's ear and whispered, "I love the song by the way."

Gabriella smiled and kissed his cheek. "Good. Then I so can't wait to sing it."

"I have another date request," Troy said. Gabriella looked up at him. "Okay, shoot."

"Let's go out to dinner. Just me and you having fun. No sharks or interruptions."

Gabriella smiled and leaned into him. "Promise?"

Troy nodded. "Promise."

"I call driving today!" Selena said. They took turns driving to school. Gabriella had driven to school yesterday and now it was Selena's turn. But it didn't even matter because Gabriella would usually drive with Troy. Gabriella climbed into Troy's truck. She caught sight of a moving truck. "Who's moving next door?"

Troy shrugged and pulled out of the driveway. Gabriella turned on the radio and Rhianna's _Wait Your Turn_ came on. Gabriella grinned as she drummer her fingers against the dashboard. "This song never gets old." Then she started singing and jamming in her seat to it. Troy chuckled and shook his head. "It's getting crowded over here, but babe the wait is over. Sometimes it takes a thousand times but when the wait is over—"

"People are looking at us," Troy said. He rolled up Gabriella's window. Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him and continued singing. A few minutes later Troy pulled up into the school parking lot. They got out of the car and started walking to the school.

"So, what's out date going to be tonight?" Gabriella asked Troy. "Fun and hype or fun and calm?"

"Fun and calm, I guess," Troy said. "But that's the only hint I'm giving you."

"Oh, come on," Gabriella whined. "Please? You know I hate surprises."

"Well, I hate telling surprises so you'll have to wait." They stopped at Gabriella's locker. Troy pulled Gabriella's sweater off and hung it up in her locker and then closed it. Gabriella swung her book bag over her shoulder and sighed. 'Well, fine. If you won't tell me then I won't sing the song for you until then, too."

"Now _that _isn't fair," Troy said.

Gabriella smirked. "Life isn't fair. Walk me to homeroom?"

Troy grinned. "Don't I always?"

…

"Ugh, I can't believe that they're back together," Reyna huffed. Hunter sighed and leaned against his locker. "Can we just give up, Reyna?"

"Can I just tell my dad to give up paying for your life?" Reyna spat back bitterly.

"I'm really sick and tired of you thinking just because your dad is giving us a home that you can push me around."

"How about saying that to my dad?" Reyna smirked and placed her hand son her hips. Hunter shook his head and sighed. "Fine, what's your plan?"

"There's a new girl coming today. I want you to get her on our side. And make sure she doesn't talk to Gabriella, her loser sisters and their loser friends. Okay? And don't mess this up."

"Okay," Hunter said. He pushed himself off the locker before walking off. Reyna smiled before following after Gabriella and Troy. She pushed up against Gabriella purposely. Gabriella turned to her. "Oops, sorry, Gabriella." Reyna grinned before trotting off.

"I swear to god, if she doesn't leave me alone, I'm going to stick her ego up her ass," Gabriella seethed, crossing her arms. Troy pulled her close and kissed the nap of her neck. "Don't worry, Brie. I have you protected."

"Protected? You act like she'll bring out a sword and kill me."

"You don't know what Reyna can do, Brie," Troy said. "When she's determined to get something, she goes to extreme levels to get what she wants."

"How so?"

"She once set a car on fire."

"My god, she's crazy." Gabriella shook her head and they entered homeroom .Her eyes stayed on Reyna the whole time. She didn't want to fight back, but if it's a fight she wants, it's a fight she'll get.

Leilani entered the room. She quickly ran over to Gabriella. "Tell me you're auditioning for the dance team."

Gabriella smiled. "Okay. I'm auditioning for the dance team."

Leilani slipped into her seat and hit Gabriella. "You are? How come you didn't tell me?"

Gabriella shook her head. "I'm not really auditioning for it. I just said I was because you told me to tell you I was."

Leilani grinned. "Well, you have to sign up. Especially since you already know how to dance."

"I don't know…"

"Please? Maxine and I can't be on it alone. I asked Rev and Sel, too and they said yes."

Gabriella sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll join. What time are try-outs?"

"Free period. That okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, everyone settle down," Ms. Darbus ordered as she stood from her thrown. "I have announcements. I'm sure you are all aware of prom that is coming up. And I believe that our student body president and co-editor of the yearbook Miss McKessie has an announcement to make. Miss McKessie." Taylor stood up and smiled.

"Prom committee— which is headed by Martha so you can pick up your tickets from her—meets tomorrow. This year's theme will be titled the _Last Waltz_." Taylor eyed Chad. He was starring off into space. She hit his desk and he looked up at her, alarmed. "But don't be the _last _to pick up your tickets. Graduation committee meets Monday, picture deadline is Thursday, and finals study groups alternate with all of the above. Oh, and the dance try-outs are due free period today." Taylor smiled and placed a hand on her hip. "Any questions?"

"Yeah," Chad said. "Name the things that Neptune is made up of." Some laughs escaped his fellow classmates and Chad smiled. Taylor smirked. "Neptune is made up of helium, methane and hydrogen." Chad frowned and shook his head as the class laughed at his failed attempt to make a joke.

"Alright, settle down," Miss Darbus ordered and Taylor went to sit down again. Gabriella sighed and rested her head on her hand. She wondered _when_ or _if _Troy was going to ask her to the Junior Prom. Prom was in a week and she really wanted to go to her first ever one.

She glanced back at Troy and smiled when he was looking at her too. Troy smiled back and then the bell rung.

"Who are you going to the prom with?" Gabriella asked Leilani once she caught up with her. Leilani shrugged and smiled. "Well, if no one asks me before the prom, I'll ask Sketcher to come with me."

Gabriella smiled. "That's nice to do. But—"

"Gabriella." Gabriella stopped and turned around. Hunter stood there, smiling brightly. "Uh, hi," Gabriella said. She was never the one to hold a grudge, but she felt as if she couldn't trust him or be his friend anymore after what he pulled. "What do you want?" Leilani snapped, throwing her icy blue eyes on him. Hunter sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I was wondering, Gabriella, if you'd like to go to Junior Prom with me."

Gabriella stared at him in disbelief. "Seriously, Hunter? You plot to break my boyfriend and me up and you want _to go to prom_? I'm sorry, but I would never, not if my life depended on it, go anywhere with you. Much less the prom. But maybe you could go with Reyna. Come on, Leilani." Gabriella shook her head and the two walked off.

Hunter sighed and Reyna pushed herself off of a locker, clapping loudly. "Well done, Hunter. But not good enough. If she won't go with you, dance with her at prom. And don't take no for an answer."

"Give it up, Reyna," Hunter pleaded. "Troy will never love you."

Reyna's face flashed red, but she kept her cool. "Just do what I said." Then she marched off. Hunter sighed and turned. He was startled when he bumped into someone. "Sorry," she said quickly. Hunter knew she was the new girl instantly. He had never seen her before. Her skin was smooth and tanned and she had soft, bouncy mocha hair and milky brown eyes. "It's okay, Hunter said, rubbing his elbow. "Hey, you're new, right?"

She smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes. I'm Evelynn Katorrio." She extended a hand for Hunter to shake. Hunter did and smiled charmingly down at her and shook Evelynn's hand. "And I'm Hunter Prince. Nice to meet you."

"Same here." Evelynn smiled, showing her straight, white teeth. Her cheeks indented with cute dimples that made her look even more stunning. "Hey, do you know where first period with Mr. Kink is? I've been wandering around the halls for a minute wondering where his room is."

Hunter grinned. "Yeah. I'm actually going that way. Did you know that Gabriella Montez is in that class?"

Evelynn smiled. "I love The Montez Trio. When my mom told me we were moving here three weeks ago, I was bummed because I thought that I had missed their stay, but I guess I was wrong." Evelynn grinned and shrugged. "And I'm glad too. My sister and I just love them."

"Your sister?"

"Well, yeah. I have a sister. Her names Madelynn and she's a senior. But she goes to West High, our rival school."

"Why don't you guys go to the same school?"

Evelynn shrugged. "Don't know. Our mom says it's better that way, but I have no idea why."

Hunter nodded. "Well, here we are." They stopped in front of Mr. Kink's biology class. "See you later?"

"Yeah. And thanks for walking me here. See ya." Evelynn slipped into the room just as the bell rang. She sat down next to a plump boy with weary eyes. Evelynn smiled at him. "Hey, I'm Evelynn." The boy looked up at her. His tired eyes jumped a bit. "Hi. I'm Regan." He had a nice, thick British accent and Evelynn smiled. She loved British accents. "I love your accent."

Regan smiled. "Most do. Do you want some notes to catch up with the class?"

"That would be awesome. Thanks." Regan handed her his notebook and Evelynn began writing down some important facts. When her eyes crossed something on a page, she frowned. It was of a small picture of a kid burning in flames. Evelynn turned the page and her faced creased when she saw the next page a full picture. It was of someone being hung. The next page was a real photo of Regan and he was shooting a kid. The gun and the other kid was a drawing instead of a photo. Evelynn quickly snapped the book shut and looked up at Regan, alarmed. What the heck was swarming around in his head?

"Are you okay?" Regan ask when he caught her staring at him. Evelynn nodded and handed him back his notes. "I think that's everything. Thanks." All of a sudden, Evelynn didn't feel safe sitting next to Regan.

"Your welcome." He turned and so did Evelynn just as Mr. Kink began teaching. Gabriella slipped into the room a second after that, out of breath as if she had been running. Mr. Kink looked to the door. "Oh, hello, Gabriella." Mr. Kink was very strict and he would only call students by their last names. But he never did that to the trio. Just as long as they rewarded him with an autograph or promise of concert tickets.

"Hi, Mr. Kink. Sorry I'm late."

"That's alright. Everyone is late once in a while. Sit, if you want."

Gabriella flashed him a grateful smile before slipping into her seat. Evidently, it was right next to Evelynn. Gabriella turned to Evelynn and smiled at her. "Hi," she whispered. Evelynn's heart rate quickened. Did Gabriella Montez actually say hi to her? "H-hello."

"Welcome to East High. Not that I've been here long. But anyway, I'm Gabriella Montez."

"I know. I'm Evelynn Katorrio."

"Evelynn? I _love_ that name. It's gorgeous."

"Thanks." Evelynn grinned. Mr. Kink shushed them and the two quickly snapped their attention back to the front. Even though Gabriella was a celebrity, he still wanted silence.

"Okay, so, who can tell me Newton's Three Laws of Motion," Mr. Kink said. He laid the chalk on the board, ready to write. "Let's have…ah, Evelynn."

"Well, the primary law of Newton's Three Laws of Motion is any object that is in a state of motion will remain in that state of motion unless a peripheral force is applied to it. The second law is that the direction of the force vector is the same as the direction of the acceleration or (_a_) vector. And the very last of Newton's Three Laws of Motion are for every action there is a contradictory and equivalent reaction." Evelynn smiled, proud to be a smart one. Mr. Kink grinned and nodded. "Correct. And I love your robust and exquisite vocabulary."

"Thanks."

"Okay, we will be starting a new experiment this semester…" Mr. Kink's voice eased to the back of Gabriella's head as she was silently bent over her desk, her phone under it and she was texting. She knew she should be paying attention, but she couldn't let herself not answer Troy. She giggled mutely at a text he sent and sent one back.

_Well yes I do think ur cock is kind of gr8. __ Y? Do u want me 2 have some 2night? _

_Nah. Mayb some other time when we don't have a date. _

Gabriella giggled.

_Well how about during free period after dance tryout? _

_SERIOUSLY? U'll do it in skool? Where has my innocent Brie gone? Although this Brie is hot ;) _

_Well then i guess i shuld use that Brie mre in bed_

_I'd lik that…oh no. Mr. Oolie sees my phone. Tlk 2 u 3__rd__ period? _

_Duh. Ily _

_Lyt _

Gabriella closed her phone and slipped it back on her pocket.

"Were you listening, Miss Montez?" Mr. Kink asked. Gabriella sat up and gulped. "Could you say it again?"

"See, the funny thing is I haven't even said anything."

Gabriella sunk in her seat as people started laughing. She smiled. "Sorry."

"I'll let it slide. Anyway, for this project, you will be partnered with the person next to you. There is an even amount of people in each row so you shouldn't need to ask questions."

Evelynn smiled. Gabriella was her partner. If she could she would jump and dance with glee.

"The subject of this assignment is to design experiments to determine how substrate and environmental conditions influence growth in common molds. You have two weeks to write a reflection and design your experiment. Make sure you're ready."

After class was over, everyone fled out the room, catching up to their partner and making plans already. Gabriella did the same. She made her way over to Evelynn who was trying to pack up all her notes. "Hi, Evelynn." Evelynn looked up and grinned. She zipped her book bag closed and stood up. "Hi, Gabriella."

"So, should we meet up at your place or mine? Because my place is really hectic. Especially when everyone's awake."

Evelynn smiled. "Well, I wouldn't know how that feels. How about we take turns?"

"Great idea." The two exchanged addresses. "Oh, shit," Gabriella cursed. "I have a date tonight. Mind our first night being tomorrow?"

"Of course. Anytime you'd like to start. So, I'll see you around?"

Gabriella. "Yeah. Bye." Gabriella turned and spotted Troy. He was leaning against his locker, a basketball tucked underneath his arm. Gabriella smiled and her hands traveled up his biceps. She rested them on his broad shoulders. Troy turned around to her and smiled. "Hey. Any news?"

"Lame ass project," Gabriella sighed. "It was better having homeschooling. But at least I got to meet everyone."

Troy grinned and kissed her cheek. He pulled out a rose. "I'll give you a rose for every hour of the day until our date. This is the first rose. See your third period. Love you." Troy bent and gave her soft kiss before walking off. Gabriella turned around and made her way to second period.

...

Free period finally came. After Gabriella changed into her gym clothes she walked silently to the gym, nodding and waving at people who said hello to her in the hall. She opened the big red doors to the gym with a Wildcat printed on them. Reva, Selena, Maxine, Leilani, the twins and Taylor were already there. Miss Catrina, the coach for soccer, was standing by the bleachers, looking over the new girls.

Gabriella walked further into the gym and to Miss Catrina. She smiled at her. "Ah, Gabriella. Nice of you to join us. Find a place of the mats and start stretching for warm-up and then we'll start dancing."

Gabriella nodded and walked over to the girls. She sat down, legs stretched forward and reached for her feet. "So uncomfortable," she groaned. Leilani laughed and laid on her back. She brought her leg up to her face. "No...this is uncomfortable."

"Looks like you're trying to kiss it," Charlene said. Acelyn nodded and then looked at Gabriella. "Welcome to the club, Gabs. Well, team."

"I haven't been accepted yet," Gabriella reminded them. Everyone looked to the door as they opened. The basketball team fled in, laughing and sweaty from practice. Gabriella smiled when she saw Troy. "See, they always come when girls tryout," Taylor said. "Or when we're just practicing." Taylor let out a breath of air and fell into a split. She reached for each of her legs and Gabriella winced. That looked like a muscle nutcracker position.

"Five more minutes, ladies!" Miss Catrina announced. "If you can't even stay awake for warm-up, I highly doubt that you'll be able to stay up when you're doing flips across the mats." Miss Catrina blew her whistle. "Jacquelyn, get up! This is not nap time."

Gabriella stood and brought her leg up behind her. Leilani laughed and stretched her arms above her head. "Miss C is harsh on us, but we love her."

After five minutes were over, the girls all lined up on the mats sat Indian style. Miss C turned on the sweet tune of Owl City's_ Fireflies_. "The first and only rule of dancing," she said. "Let your body go and flow with the music. There is no right or wrong move. Now get up. If you can't keep up, flow with the music and do your own thing. If you tire out, step off the mat." Miss C let herself go into the flow of the music, the girls following after her. "One, two, three turn. One, two, three drop. Selena, don't stop of you get lost, honey. Just keep going."

Selena sighed and started twisting and turning with the music. She was used to dance moves being instructed to her at a slow rate, not the rate with the tempo of the song. "Five, six, lean and twist," Miss C called out. "Five, six, lean and twist."

Troy crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes scanning over the dancers. Ian, one of the guys on the team, walked over to him. "How awesome is it to see girls bend and flex?"

"Awesome, but I'm only looking at one," Troy reminded him. His eyes found Gabriella and he smiled. She was a natural.

"Alright girls, that was really good," Miss C said as the music died down. "And you all did wonderful. But I can only pick twenty girls for the team. Line up again." The girls did as they were told and Miss C picked up her clipboard. "I will put you all in four groups of five. The group is usually consisting of girls who are at the same level of dance." Miss C smiled. "Okay. For group one I'll have Tiffany, Sabrina, Angelina, Reva and Ginny." Reva waved goodbye to her sisters and friends and walked forwards with her group. "Second group is Leilani, Brittany D, Jenn, Taylor, and Renai." Those girls walked up and Leilani and Taylor hugged each other. They were always in the same group. "Third group is Regina, Hannah, Kellie, Emilee, and Johanna. Forth group is Acelyn, Charlene, Diem, Lena, and Donna. And finally, our fifth group is Savannah, Gabriella, Maxine, Adrian, and Selena." Miss C sighed and put down her clipboard and looked at the sixteen girls that didn't make it. "I'm sorry, girls. I just couldn't find the melody hidden in your bodies. Maybe next year?"

The group of girls, feeling dejected, walked out of the gym. Miss C turned to the teams and smiled. "Next week we start practice for the competition at West High in March. That gives us, plenty of time to practice our moves. but for now, it's free dance time." Miss C turned on the radio to _Just Dance_ by Lady Gaga. The girls broke out dancing their own way.

"I made the team," Selena squealed.

"Me, too!" Gabriella squealed with her. Reva joined. Maxine smiled and shook her head. "You guys wanna learn some dance moves?" When they nodded, they grabbed a couple of other girls and started following Maxine's dance moves.

...

After school, Gabriella had a total of eight roses. She walked out of school and towards Troy's truck. He leaned against it, talking to some boys from the basketball team. Gabriella's walk to his car was cut short when someone knocked the flowers from her hands. She looked up, shocked. Reyna stood there, smiling. "Hey, Gabriella," she said. Gabriella rolled her eyes. She bent to pick the flowers up, frowning at the damage done to them. "What do you want, Reyna?" Gabriella finally said when she got all her flowers up.

Reyna ignored her. "Where'd you get the flowers from?"

Gabriella ignored her as well. "What do you want, Reyna?' she questioned again, lowering her dark eyes on her. Reyna rolled her eyes. "Oh, you know. I just want to ask the most popular girls in school if they'd like to go to my party tomorrow night."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, obviously seeing that this was a set up. And she was sick and tired of falling for Reva's dumb tricks. "Listen, I'm not stupid, okay? And the little game you're playing is dumb and childish. You had a chance with him and you blew it," Gabriella said. "You broke his heart. He's not taking you back, Reva. So just forget it."

"I'm not saying he will," Reva said, her voice a bit saddened and dejected. Gabriella placed her hands on her hips. "But if he's not with you or anyone for that matter, I'll be fine."

"Why do you want that so much, Reyna?" Gabriella asked. "I'm not trying to sound conceited at all, but our relationship is in a good place right now and we're really, _really_ good together. I know you're heartbroken about it, but that's your own fault."

"What if I said I were doing it for you?" Reyna said. Gabriella scoffed. "If someone were holding a knife to my neck and the only way to save me is if you say something nice about me I bet you wouldn't even do that. So enlighten me, Reyna. How are you doing this for me?"

"You're leaving soon, Gabriella," Reyna said and Gabriella's arms dropped to her side. "You're not staying here forever and it's better to just give up on him. And I know it."

Gabriella shook her head. "You don't know anything, Reyna."

Reyna smiled. "I know that your heart is breaking because you know I'm right." She shrugged. "But fine, if you don't believe me, then I'll just keep trying. See you later, Gabriella...if you're not back in LA." Reyna flashed one of her smug smiles before trotting off, joining her posse. They had made up at some point.

Gabriella stood there, looking down at the ground, finding it interesting suddenly. "Gabriella." Gabriella turned and smiled as Troy stood there. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. "What did Reyna say to you?"

"Oh, you know, same old-same old bullshit type of stuff. Nothing really worth listening to." Troy led them to his truck and they climbed in.

"Let's listen to some Owl City; your favorite," Troy said when they pulled off. He put in Owl City's Ocean Eyes and to Track 03. Fireflies started to swim around the truck and Gabriella grinned. she leaned her head against the leather seats and started singing along. "You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep. 'Cause they fill the open air and leave teardrops everywhere, you'd think me rude but I would just stand there and stare..." Gabriella sighed softly and smiled. "Best song in the world."

"You can dance to it," Troy quipped, going back to dance tryouts. Gabriella smiled at him. "How'd I look?"

Troy smirked. "When you flex and bend like that..."

"So I looked hot?"

"Beyond that."

They pulled up at the house ten minutes later. Surprisingly everyone was home. They usually got home first. "Short cut," Selena explained when Troy and Gabriella reached them.

"Gabriella, Troy, I'd like you to meet Cassandra," Sammy said. He came up to them, hand-in-hand with a little girl. She had soft blond hair and round green eyes. She looked up at Gabriella, her smile eager and friendly. "I'm your biggest fan," she gushed. "I mean, I'm Sammy's biggest fan, too."

Gabriella smiled. "Well it's nice to meet you. Sammy can't stop talking about you."

Cassandra turned to Sammy, her eyes huge. "Really? I never stop talking about me, too!"

Sammy smiled and looked at Gabriella and Troy. "She's bound to grow up and be like Sharpay. Anyway, me and my lady are going to watch Ben 10 while I feed her strawberries." They turned and walked off. Gabriella smiled at Troy. "That was cute."

Troy shook his head. "Yup...I could totally see a Sharpay in Cassandra's future."

...

Gabriella groaned and sunk to her knees in her closet. She had nothing to wear. Well, I mean, she had tons of stuff to wear, but she didn't know what to choose. "Chica," Selena said, pulling her up. "You have the most expensive dresses I've ever seen and you're moaning and groaning about not having anything to wear? I should slap you right now."

"It has to be perfect," Gabriella insisted. She peered at her closet again and sighed. "I don't know what to wear."

Maxine stepped up. "You have to wear something sexy, but not slutty and a dress that yells, 'Hey, I can't wait for Troy Bolton to ravish me!'. And it has to have its own flavor and edge." Maxine tapped her chin, her eyes searching the closet. She smiled when she saw something. "Perfect." She pulled out a black off-the-shoulder dress that stopped short. It looked like it would hardly get past Gabriella's thighs.

Gabriella smiled and shrugged. "Well, yeah. That ones good. I'll wear it. Thanks, Max." Maxine smiled and Gabriella took the dress. Thirty minutes later, she was stood in front of her mirror. Her hair was shiny and flowing softly down her back in black, glossy waves. Smokey eye shadow circled her eyes and soft peach lip gloss was smeared across her lips.

The dress was sleek and hugged her body perfectly, not leaving any curve out. She smiled, satisfied, and then slipped on her favorite pair of shoes. Her black Jimmy Choo elskin platform pumps.

Leilani clapped behind her. "You look fab, Gab."

Gabriella smiled. "Thanks." There was a knock at her bedroom door and Gabriella grinned. Since they lived in the same house now, Troy would now pick her up at her bedroom door. Gabriella opened the door and Troy stood there in a neat button down and dress pants and shoes. He hardly ever dressed up and she smiled at him. "You get yourself cleaned up fast," she told him.

"I should say the same," Troy said. He gave her a slow, passionate kiss on the lips before linking their arms together. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Thirty minutes later they were parked in front of Antiquity Restaurant. Troy quickly got of the car and walked to Gabriella's side. He yanked open her door and offered his hand out for her. "M'lady?" Gabriella giggled and took his hand. She stepped out of his old truck as if it were a limo and Troy guided them into the restaurant.

Gabriella looked around, impressed by it's romantic and fancy look. The lights were dim and the walls were dark and red. Flowers danced across the walls along with old-fashioned wallpaper and old-fashioned lamps. Gabriella smiled at Troy. This had to cost him a lot of money. Would he pay a bunch for her?

"Reservation for Bolton," Troy said. The hostess smiled at the two before checking her list. "Ah, Bolton. Got it. This way." The hostess lead them to a table for two. A candle was sat in the middle of it on top of an exquisite table cloth. They both smiled and thanked the hostess before sitting down. "I believe your waitress will be with you in a few moments," he said and then left.

Troy turned to Gabriella and grinned. "Fancy, eh?"

"Totally. It's beautiful."

"It's Albuquerque's most romantic restaurant. It's been here for over five decades. This is where my dad proposed to my mom."'

Gabriella smiled. "That's so romantic. Has the perfect setting."

Troy nodded his agreement. They both looked up as a waitress made her way over to them. She smiled. "Hello, my name is Johanna and I'll be your waitress tonight. Would your guys like any appetizers or drinks?"

"Um, could we have the crab cakes?" Troy said, looking at Gabriella for her opinion. She nodded. Johanna nodded and scribbled down the order. "Anything to drink? Wine is for twenty-one years and older." She looked at them as if saying she knew how old they were. "We have a variety of soft drinks, too."

Troy nodded. "I'll have lemonade."

"Me, too," Gabriella said, sighing. Johanna nodded. "Okay. I'll be right back with your orders." Gabriella looked at Troy when she left. "I wanted some wine. They have like two hundred kinds."

"We'll go to the club after this," Troy promised her and Gabriella smiled. For some odd reason she wanted to get drunk as hell.

...

"I never thought mushrooms would be good," Gabriella said after the date. There was a club right across the street from the restaurant and so they decided to go there. Troy smiled and looked down at her. "They're famous for their mushrooms." Gabriella nodded and they walked across the parking lot and to the club.

Yellow, blue, pink and green lights flashed around, making everyone look colorful. Gabriella looked up at Troy and grinned. "Let's go get some drinks," She said. Troy nodded and they maneuvered their way around the dancing couples and to the bar. Gabriella reached into her purse and pulled out a blond wig. She placed it on her head and laughed. Troy looked down at her in question. "Don't want people to recognize me," she explained and Troy nodded.

"Two Piña Colada' s," Troy said. The bartender looked them over, smiled and then nodded. She walked to the back and came back with two glasses. "There you go. And make sure you get a look at our beer pong contest," she said. "The winner gets two bottles of wine, red and white and free drinks through the night."

Troy nodded. "Sounds promising. We'll look into it."

Gabriella smiled and took a sip of her drink. Troy looped an arm around her and pulled her close, drinking his own drink. He knew he couldn't drink tonight because they needed to get home safely.

"Guess what," Gabriella said, swishing her drink around her. Troy looked down at her. "What?"

"I wanna play that beer pong thing." When she saw the doubtful look on Troy's face she groaned. "Oh, come on, Troy. Please? It's time to have fun, let loose! Carpe Diem." She smiled. "Seize the day and let it live your way."

Troy chuckled. "You sound like you're in a sappy love movie."

Gabriella grinned and grabbed Troy's hand. She dragged him around the club until she stopped at the beer pong table. People were surrounding the table, getting ready for the match. "Who wants to play?" a guy asked. He was tipsy, almost falling over.

"We'll play!" Gabriella said. "Two on two."

"Gabriella," Troy hissed, bringing her to the side. "I have to get us home. I can't if I'm drunk."

"Fine, I'll play by myself," Gabriella decided. She stepped up and looekd at the guy. "One-on-one."

He smiled and shook his head. "Alright, fine. One-on-one. But first I need to find someone worth playing..."

"Hey," Gabriella snapped. "Don't talk unless you've played."

He smirked. "Alright. I'm Jacob."

"Gabriella." She smiled. "What are we playing?"

Jacob's drunk face creased with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Gabriella sighed. "How many cups? Are we playing with six, ten, fifteen?"

Jacob's eyebrows raised. "Oh, uh..."

"Dude, I think she wants a serious game," a guy from the side said. "Seems badass...you played fifteen before?"

Gabriella smiled. "No. But I bet I can beat him." A bunch of 'Oohs' sounded and Gabriella smirked. Jacob shook his head, not fazed. He walked over to the white board and wrote down Badass Gabs in one bracket and then in the other one he wrote, BP King. He turned around to face her and then added nine more cups to the table. He filled each evenly and then tossed the empty beer cans on the ground. "Let's flip a coin," he said. Gabriella nodded. "Heads."

Jacob flipped the coin and it landed on heads. He looked up at her. "Okay, you first . Oh, and don't be mad if you lose. I am the—" Jacob gasped as Gabriella smiled and tossed the ball. It landed perfectly into the red plastic cup and the crowd roared into applause and cheers. "I believe your drink is awaiting," Gabriella teased, nodding to the cup.

"Beginners luck," Jacob said, gulping down the cup. Gabriella rolled her eyes and Troy smirked. As the game advanced, Gabriella had only drunk nine out of her fifteen cups. Jacob had finished all his off and was falling over, barely being able to stand.

The crowd cheered and applauded as Gabriella was handed her gift for winning. "Thanks for the game!" she said to Jacob and then her and Troy walked away. "That was fun!" Gabriella squealed, putting her stuff down. "Seriously, I've never done anything like that before."

Troy chuckled. Gabriella popped open the wine bottle and started drinking it from the bottle. Troy raised his eyebrows. "Easy...don't want to pass out."

Gabriella shook her head and stood. "Wanna dance?" Troy nodded and they walked out to the dance floor as Katy Perry's _Last Friday Night_ blasted through the walls. Troy grabbed her hips as she moved with the beat, her arms raised above her head and her lips movie with the lyrics. "Last Friday night! Yeah, we danced on table tops and we took too many shots! Think we kissed , but I forgot! Last Friday night!" she loudly sung. "Oh, my God!" she giggled and stopped dancing. Troy looked down at her confused. "What's wrong?"

"A shot contest." When she saw the look on his face she smiled. "Come on! What i say about carper diem?" She dragged him to a table and they sta down. A girl looked up, smiling. "Hey, what's up?"

"Got any shots?"

"You look young..."

"Oh, _come on_. Don't pretend you didn't let loose and go wild when you were a teen. Now come on, I want some."

The girl shrugged and smiled. "Okay. My names Marissa _Shot_. To beat my record you have to take more than ten shots in a minute. Got it?" Gabriella nodded and Marissa poured some Tequila in twenty shot glasses. "Drink as many as you can. And the timer starts...now." Marissa smirked and Gabriella hastily grabbed a shot glass and downed it. Se grabbed another and then another and then another. Already she felt sick to her stomach, but she kept going.

Marissa watched with interest, her eyebrows raising. It was only fifty seconds and Gabriella was on her sixteenth shot. Gabriella wavered a bit, closed her eyes and then downed another. Her hand shook as she drunk one more before collapsing on her arm. The timer ticked off and Marissa cheered along with the gathering crowd around them. "Damn, girl. How old are you?"

"She's seventeen," Troy said when Gabriella only laughed. Marissa grinned. "Well, she has some tight balls. You have a crazy ass chick there. You should keep her." Troy nodded and lead Gabriella away from the table. She could hardly stand. "You know I love you, right?" Gabriella said, looking up at Troy, Troy nodded and smiled down at her. "Yup. I love you, too."

"Aw, you're adorable!" Gabriell hugged him tightly. "Let's dance again. Please?"

Troy took them onto the dance floor and Avril Lavigne's _The Best Damn Thing_ blasted throughout the club. Gabriella laughed as she danced against him, her arms pumping and her head bobbing with the music while her hair flew about. Troy couldn't help but laugh. "Where are the hopes? Where are the dreams? My Cinderella story scene! When do you think they'll finally see!" Gabriella loudly sung.

"Aw," Gabriella whined when the song was over and Lady Gaga's _Just Dance_ came on. She slouched against troy and yawned. "Look, I have sixteen fingers," Gabriella giggled, looking down at her hands. Troy picked her up and started leaving the club. Gabriella started whining. "Wait! I can't leve Troy. He's my boyfriend and he'll be mad if I leave with a stranger."

Troy chuckled and shook his head. "I am Troy, Brie."

"Oh yeah?" Troy nodded. "Prove it."

"How?"

"What's the color of his eyes?"

"Blue."

"No. They're blue. See, you aren't Troy."

Troy rolled his eyes. "I just said blue, Brie."

Gabriella giggled and Troy gently placed her in his truck. Before he could close the door, Gabriella held it open and puked her guts out on the gravel beneath the truck. Troy sighed and rubbed her back and held her hair back. Gabriella coughed and wheezed in her hand and Troy patted her back. "You okay?"

"Mhmm," she groaned. "Is it time for my date yet?"

Troy chuckled and reached for a napkin in the glove department. He wiped at the throw up on her mouth and chin and nodded. "We already had out date, Brie." Gabriella giggled and rested her head against the seat. Troy closed the door before finally getting in himself and driving off. "Here," Troy said, handing Gabriella a piece of gum. Gabriella unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. "Mmm, it taste like your lips," she moaned and grinned at him. Troy shook his head and laughed. Remind him never to let Gabriella get drunk again.

...

"Let's play a game first," Gabriella insisted as Troy walked into the house carrying her. She tightened her arms around him when he tried to let her go. Gabriella smirked at him. "Oh, _come on_, boyfriend," she urged, nudging her nose against his.

Troy smiled. "Alright. Fine. What game do you have in mind?"

"Truth or Dare," she whispered. She lowered her head and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Troy grinned. "Shouldn't we have more players?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No. This game is between me." She pointed to herself and then she flicked his nose with her index finger and giggled. "and you."

"I knew I shouldn't have given you those drinks," he said, letting her down. She wavered a bit before catching her feet and dragging him out to the back. She turned to him. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Troy said, not wanting to do anything bizarre at one a.m. Gabriella pouted. "Oh, you're no fun _at all_. Okay…" She tapped her chin, a thoughtful look crossing her face A minute later she smiled at him. "This one is easy. Ever started a relationship just for sex?"

Troy was about to answer when he felt something wet hit him. He looked up and frowned. Rain started to bleed from the sky. It didn't take long for it to start drumming against the ground and them. Troy pulled them closer to the house and shook his head. "No."

Gabriella smiled. "Neither have I."

"My turn?" Gabriella nodded. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." She looked up at him, a mischievous glint crossing over her eyes. Troy smiled. "I dare you to jump into the pool with no clothes on. You have to swim around it three times."

"No way," Gabriella declined, shaking her head full of wet curls. "It's freezing out."

"Oh, _come on_, girlfriend," he urged like she had done earlier. Gabriella smirked. "Alright, fine. I'll do it. But just three times and you have to have a towel ready for me to jump into." Troy nodded his reassurance and Gabriella shimmied out of her dress and kicked off her shoes.. She casted a look around her before diving into the cool water.

Its cold depths hit her painfully and Gabriella resurfaced, feeling chills raking her body to the point where she couldn't feel anymore. "God, it's fucking cold in here," Gabriella whined.

"Three laps," Troy reminded her. Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him before taking off into a sprint around the pool. Troy watched her, smirking as she went over three laps. She even did a hand stand and spread her legs apart, showing him her glorious self.

Gabriella flipped right side up and smirked at Troy, knowing what he was looking at when she had flipped. She ran her fingers through her wet hair and then dived forward into the water again.

After four more laps, she swam up to him. She rested her arms on the edge of the pool and looked up at him. "How many laps was that?"

"Seven," Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. "Join me?"

"Are you serious? It's like below twenty degrees in that pool," Troy said. But he smiled and threw off his clothes anyway. "Watch out," he warned her before doing a cannon ball into the water. Gabriela squealed lightly as the still clod water splashed into her face. Troy resurfaced, shaking like a Chihuahua.

Gabriella swam over to him and grabbed his face. She kissed him hard on the lips before diving back into the water and swimming away. Troy followed after her, not being able to keep his eyes off of her butt.

Gabriella giggled as Troy grabbed her waist and pulled her against him. He turned her around in his arms and smiled down at her. "You're dick is stabbing me," she giggled, kicking her legs against the water. Troy felt his cheeks tint red. To cover his blush, he leaned down and kissed her. His hands moved down under her thighs and pulled on them. Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist and Troy moved them over to the edge of the pool.

He sucked and nipped at her bottom lip, enjoying the soft moans and mewls that vibrated from the back of her throat. She gripped at his hair as he moved down, suckling harshly on her collarbone. "Oh, god," she breathed. Then she let out a loud, guttural moan. Troy detached his lips from her and looked at her in warning. "Shh," he warned. "There are neighbors and everyone in the house is sleeping."

Gabriella nodded and Troy went back to his ministrations. Gabriella bit back the moan that wanted to overtake her voice as he started his assault on her breast. "Troy," she gasped. His cock was pushed against her and she wanted nothing more than him to take her right here and now.

Troy pulled away from his assault and smirked at her. "Ready?" he whispered. Gabriella nodded and closed her eyes, letting him take her in the most beautiful ways.

…

The next morning, the sun was screaming at the two teenagers lying practically dead in Gabriella's bed. The covers were a mess, hardly covering their nude selves.

After going for it three times in the pool they had moved to Gabriella's room and did foreplay. Then they had started another go with the sex and then two more times. After that it was nearly three a.m. so the two teens passed out.

Troy groaned lightly and stretched his muscles. He cringed at the crack of his bones and then opened his eyes. Fucking hell, it was bright. Troy rubbed his eyes and sat up. He took notice in the beauty next to him, her naked chest rising and falling with every even, calm breath she took.

His eyes moved to the alarm clock next and he gasped. It was one fifty-two pm. Had they really slept through school? But why didn't someone come and wake them up Troy thought for a moment before realization dawned on him. Shit.

"Gabriella," he said lightly, shaking her body. When she didn't move he shook her harder. Gabriella groaned and slapped his hand away. "Go…away," she breathed. "Troy time…" Troy smirked. He was totally going to ask her about Troy time.

Troy leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It didn't take long for Gabriella to respond. When Troy pulled away she was looking up at him, her eyes still glossy from sleep. "Morning," she whispered.

Troy chuckled. "Incorrect. It's almost two pm," he told her. Gabriella's mouth went ajar and she turned quickly to the alarm clock, only regretting it seconds later. The pounding in her ears and head was painful. She groaned and plopped backwards on the bed. "I…fricken' hate alcohol."

"That's funny," Troy said, his tone teasing. "You had told me yesterday when we were in the car driving home that you loved alcohol and absolutely wanted to marry it."

"Mm," Gabriella groaned. She sat up again and stretched. "I was intoxicated. I probably would've jumped off a building if Elmo told me to."

"Or strip naked and swim in the pool out back. And then have sex with me. I think we did it…six times last night? God and you had probably a total of ten, twelve orgasms." Troy smirked when Gabriella glared up at him. Gabriella smacked him. "Shut up and stop yelling."

Troy chuckled. "Not yelling, Brie."

She groaned again. "I remember the swimming and the sex. Intoxicated, remember? Plus, you weren't drunk and you joined me."

Troy smiled and got off of the bed. "I'll go get you some Aspirin, okay?" Gabriella nodded mutely and Troy pulled on his clothes. He walked down the steps and towards the kitchen. He was surprised to see Rosie sat at the kitchen table, scrolling down on her laptop.

"Uh…"

Rosie looked up at him and smiled. "Well, well, well. If you look who it is. Had fun last night, Troy?"

"Um…"

Rosie sighed. "These walls aren't sound proof. And I expect my pool to be cleaned out by you two."

"Uh..." Troy was speechless. What was he supposed to say? Oh, I'm sorry for having sex numerous times with your student? "You guys aren't in trouble, Troy," Rosie assured him. She got up and brought out a bottle of Aspirin and then filled a cup with water. She passed them over to Troy. "But I want to know…are you guys being careful?"

"Of course we are," Troy said. "And, you know, I'm sorry—"

Rosie put up a hand to stop him. "Sorry for what? Being two hormonal teenagers? Every person goes through it, Troy. Not just you two."

Troy smiled. "Yeah, but we woke you did we?"

"Yup. And I don't want you to do it again. Now go up stairs and give her the pills and water and then I want to talk to you guys together." Troy nodded. He turned and walked up the steps, taking his time purposely. He so didn't want to talk to Rosie about sex and stuff. It's like having the talk all over again and he'd die before reliving that.

Gabriella was on her stomach, staring at her blank TV screen. Troy chuckled. "Watcha' watching?"

"This is my favorite show," Gabriella informed him. Troy laughed and Gabriella sat up. He handed her over the pills and water. "Tell everybody that I'm on my way," she sung after she took the pills. "New friends and new places to see. With blue sky's ahead, yes I'm on my way and there's no where else that I'd rather be…wait, is that how you sing it? God, it's been years since I've watched that movie." Troy chuckled. He took the cup from her and placed it on her nightstand. "Rosie wants to talk to us."

"Oh come on," Gabriella groaned. "I've practically had the Talk two times already. I don't want to do it again."

They walked down the steps. Rosie was on the couch, a pharmacy bag by her. Gabriella groaned while Troy laughed. "It's your fault," Rosie reminded her. "You're the one having sex."

"And you're the one dealing with it," Gabriella murmured. "You're supposed to not want to talk about my sex life."

"You think I want to? I just don't want another Sammy or girl Sammy running around the house as well."

Gabriella and Troy sat down on the couch and Rosie held up a bag. "This bag is filled with condoms. I think there are about four packs and there are ten in pack. Now, I know you guys are teens and teens are hormonally charged. But sometimes you guys have to have limits. Condoms and birth control aren't one hundred percent affective. There's still a chance for you to get pregnant, Gabriella and so I want you guys to limit your sexually activity. Or let me put it this way. You can go to first, second and third base. Just not a lot of home-runs."

Troy laughed while Gabriella blushed madly. "Did you tell my mother about last night?" she squeaked. Rosie shook her head. "No. I don't find a reason to do so."

Gabriella's body let go of a lot of tension. "You know, some adults would think its horrible were having sex and would separate us," Gabriella said. Rosie shrugged. "I was just like you two when I was a teen. I knew my limits and knew I needed to be protective at all times. So I totally understand you guys."

"Why'd you let us skip school?" Gabriella asked.

"Because you guys looked horribly tired. I just called the school and told them one of you had a virus and passed it on to the other."

"What about—" There was a knock at the door. Rosie stood and walked over to it. She pulled it open and gasped. "Henry? My God, where have you been?"

Henry smiled and stepped into the house. "Living," he announced proudly. "I've never felt so young before in my life."

Rosie laughed. "Well, I'm glad. Are you staying? I still have your bed nice and warm for you."

Henry shook his head. "That wouldn't be necessary m'lady. I've found a place where I can stay." Henry smiled as he spotted Gabriella. "Miss Montez. It's so nice to see you again. He held out a hand. Gabriella rolled her eyes and stood. She pulled him into a hug. "Cut the politeness crap, Henry. We're friends."

Henry smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Who's your friend?"

"Boyfriend," Gabriella corrected him and Henry smiled. Troy stood and shook hands with Henry. "Troy Bolton," Troy said. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

"The girls are at school. These two had to stay home and we had to chat," Rosie explained when Henry looked around in search for the girls. Henry nodded. "Well, I can't stay. Tell the girls that I came by and said hi. It was nice meeting you, Troy. Bye, girls." Henry smiled before walking out of the house.

"He was our chauffeur," Gabriella explained to Troy. He nodded and plopped back down on the couch. Gabriella and Rosie both went into the kitchen. Rosie grabbed a container out of the cabinet and popped open the lid. She pulled a packet out of it and poured it into a container. Gabriella watched her. "Kool-Aid?"

"No. Crystal Light. It's healthy for you and I need to lose some weight. I'm getting fat."

Gabriella's eyebrows raised. She walked over to Rosie and pulled on the tag in the back of her jeans. "Rosie, you wear a size four. That's one size away from me. So please don't tell me you're fat."

Rosie dismissed the conversation and poured herself a glass. "It's really good."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and walked up to the fridge. She pulled out a fruit roll-up and stuffed it into her mouth. "Yum," she moaned and Rosie laughed. Rosie rinsed out her cup. "So, how was your date last night? They actually let you guys drink?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Nope. We went to a bar afterward. You know, I've found a new talent. I'm really good at beer pong."

Rosie smiled. "Well, you aren't drinking for another while. Your mom would so kill me if she found out." Gabriella shrugged and walked out of the kitchen. She plopped down on Troy's lap and leaned back against him. "I'm confused," Troy said as he started playing with her hair. "I don't know when I became your personal chair."

Gabriella smiled. "Yeah, well, I don't know when you became my personal hair stylist. Get off of my hair."

"Why? I'm fixing it. You have bad bed hair." Gabriella turned around on his lap and settled her arms loosely around his shoulders. She leaned her forehead against his and smiled at him. "And who's fault is that?"

Troy squirmed around in his spot. "Yours?"

"I h_a_ve a theory for you. I think you actually like when I sit yon your lap because it turns you on."

"You know, I can hear you guys!" Rosie called from the kitchen. Gabriella rolled her eyes. Troy chuckled and Gabriella rolled off of him. "You're right," Troy said. "I do like you sitting on me."

Gabriella smiled and kissed his cheek. She got up and turned on the TV. Much to her surprise, Brother bear came on. Gabriella gasped and squealed. "Okay, what is going on in—" Rosie stopped in mid-sentence and she squealed as well. "It's Brother Bear. Why didn't you guys tell me this was on?"

"Oh, I don't know," Troy replied sarcastically. "Maybe it crossed our minds."

Rosie plopped down in the chair next to them and Gabriella turned the volume up.

...

"You will tell us everything!" Reva demanded as everyone walked into the house. She walked over to Gabriella, pulled her up and then they marched up the steps, Gabriella getting dragged along like a dog. Troy looked after them. "I would go save her..._but_ I really don't feel like it."

Gabriella sat down on her bed as the girls all came rushing into her room. She laid back on her bed and stared at her ceiling. "You guys make it sound like it;s our first time."

"Yes, but how many times did you go?" Maxine asked. "Sammy woke up at like two thinking that you were getting hurt because you were screaming so loudly."

Gabriella's eyes went wide and she buried her head in her hands. "My god, that's embarressing," she groaned. She rolled onto her stomach and shook her head. "Call me when it's time for the apocalypse."

"Don't be embarrassed," Selena said. "You should be proud. You're the only girl in this house—besides Rosie and Leilani—that's had sex." Selena paused and then looked over at Reva. "Wait, she is the _only_ girl in this house besides Rosie and Leilani that had sex, isn't she?"

Reva nodded vigorously. "Duh! I'm only fourteen. I rather wait to have sex."

"Stop your girl talking," Emil demanded as he walked into the room. "By the law of Troy Bolton, you mustn't harass Gabriella or—"

"Get out," Leilani said, pushing Emil out the door. She closed and locked it. She rolled her eyes when she heard him say, "And to not hurt her! It's by the law of Troy—" Leilani hit the door and they all laughed when they heard Emil squeal in surprise. Gabriella giggled and sat up. "Oh, I just can't wait to be king!"

Maxine sat down on the bed next to her. "How many times did you guys, you know, do it?"

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. "Why should I tell you guys?"

"Because you love us," Selena said.

"Yeah, that's right. I do love you guys, don't I? But I don't like you." Gabriella smiled and laid back down on the bed. `Maxine shook her head. 'That doesn't even make any sense, Gabriella! How do you love us, but not like us?" Gabriellia shrugged and started humming the tune to the Lion King's _I Just Can't Wait to be King_.

"I'm just here for the laugh," Leilani announced. "I really don't want to know about my brother's sex life."

"Well, good," Gabriella huffed. "You guys should follow her lead."

"But that's no fun," Reva whined. "Because we all have non-existent sex lives so we want to know about your existent sex life."

"Well I don't want to tell," Gabriella said. She stood up and walked over to her door. As soon as she opened it, Sammy threw himself at her, hugging her tightly. "I thought you were dead!" he said. "I even punch Troy in his nuts because he tried to kill you!"

Gabriella laughed and bent to pick Sammy up. She smiled at him. "I'm fine, Sammy. We were just playing a game."

Sammy cocked his head to the side. "What kind of game? Can I play!"

"No!" Maxine said, coming out of the room. Gabriella laughed and shook her head. "It's an older kid game, Sammy. Wait until you're like Troy's age." Sammy nodded and Gabriella put him down.

"Gabriella," Rosie called from downstairs. Gabriella came running down the steps. "Huh?"

Rosie smiled and handed her a pool brush and skimmer net. "Get to cleaning. That pool will _not_ clean itself." Gabriella groaned and blushed furiously as the girls and Emil all laughed. Troy smiled and took the pool vacuum as they walked outside to the pool.

* * *

><p>Hi! Tell me what you thought of this chapter. Oh, and REVIEW! This is the second longest chapter I've made. Oh, and don't hate me if I got the beer pong thingy wrong. I've never played it, but I've head of it.<p>

Oh, and one more thing. I didn't type this on Word this time so there are probably going to be some mistakes. Sorry for that. Anyway, thanks!

-Thanks!Brittany


	24. Hormonal Features That Follow

**Chapter 24**

**Hormonal Features That Follow **

"The beach!" Sammy exclaimed. He ripped off his shirt and started barreling towards the water. Before he could get anywhere though, Troy scooped him up in his arms. "Hold up, Sam. You already almost drowned once. You need someone to go out there with you."

"No I don't!" Sammy insisted. He started kicking his legs and Troy chuckled. "Troy is right, Sam," Rosie said. "You older kids go play, I have Sammy."

Troy handed Rosie Sammy before he and everyone else walked to a secluded part of the beach. Emil lifted his shirt off of his head and stared down at his torso. "Alright! I have a four-pack."

"More like a zero-pack," Troy said. He lifted his shirt over his head. "See, this is abs."

"Whatever. Hey, girlfriend, you feel like frolicking in the water and running out towards the sunset?" Emil asked Reva. Reva giggled and nodded. She kicked off her clothes revealing her black and white stripped halter bikini before latching their hands together and running towards the body of water.

"I am going to sleep," Leilani announced. She was about to lie down on her beach blanket when some boys playing volleyball caught her attention. She smirked and let her curly blonde hair out of its ponytail. "Actually, on second thought I'll be over there."

"Yeah, and I'll be watching," Troy said. He laid down on his beach chair and Gabriella settled between his legs.

"We're going over there with Lei," Selena said.

"We'll be right back," Maxine added before they ran to catch up with Leilani. Gabriella smiled and turned around. She sat up and straddled Troy's legs before kissing his slowly on the lips. "Your lips taste like strawberries," Troy chuckled, licking his lips. Gabriella rested her head on his chest and nodded. "Strawberry lip gloss. I use it like everyday."

"Well, don't stop," Troy demanded softly. Gabriella smiled and the two sat still for a while.

"What's going to happen when I leave?" Gabriella asked suddenly, her worry slicing through the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when I go back to LA…you know I have to, Troy." Gabriella sat back up and looked down at him, her face frowning with seriousness. "What will happen to us?"

"I don't know," Troy said. Gabriella sighed and stood. 'That's not what I want to hear. Look, I'm getting some ice cream. Want any?"

"Gabriella…"

"I'm not mad, Troy," Gabriella assured him. "Do you want any?"

"No."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Gabriella bent down and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Love you," she whispered against his lips. Troy grinned. "Love you, too." Gabriella stood up straight and started a slow walk towards the beach shack that sold all kinds of stuff. She smiled and greeted a few people walking by who waved at her.

"Yo, Gabriella Montez!"

Gabriella turned. A boy with sandy blonde hair and cypress green eyes walked towards her, a few guys trailing behind him. "Yeah?"

"Can we have your autograph?" one asked, smirking.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. "Do you guys have a pen? I don't have one on me…"

"Yeah." The one with the blonde hair pulled a pen from his pocket and a crumbled piece of paper. "You can just sign your name and then put under it the Montez Trio sucks."

Gabriella stopped writing after she finished the second _l _in her name. She looked up at him and pushed the pen in paper in his arms. "There's your autograph," she said exasperatedly. She turned to leave. The blonde one moved in front of her though stopping her in her tracks. "Oh, come on, Montez. It was just a harmless joke. You don't have to be so rude. You didn't even finish signing it."

"Can you please move?" Gabriella asked.

"But the fun just started," he said. "Besides, you didn't even get to see my room yet." His voice held a suggested tone and Gabriella scoffed. She pushed past him. "Nor do I want to see it. Leave me alone."

"Not gonna give me what Bolton gives you?" he questioned. He slid back in front of her and grasped her arms, grinning down at her. "Or maybe even—" He stopped in mid-sentence as a punch was thrown at his nose. He fell to the ground, holding his bloody nose and trying to stop the blood from pouring. Gabriella whirled around and smiled softly. Troy stood there, shaking his hand. "She told you to leave her alone you son of a bitch." He glared at the other boys before grabbing Gabriella's arm and pulling her towards the shack. "You okay?" he asked her. Gabriela nodded. "Yeah. They're just a bunch of jerks. Told me to sign my name and put under it the Montez Trio sucks." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "They're morons. I hope his nose is broken."

"Stupid morons," Troy agreed.

"Yo, Bolton, is that you?" the blonde guy said as he walked slowly over to them. Troy stood up, his protective mode in action. "A Wildcat?"

"How do you…" Troy stopped talking. It was the captain of West High Knights, East High's rival school. "John?"

"You guys know each other?" Gabriella asked.

"He goes to West High, our rival school," Troy explained and Gabriella nodded in understanding. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Last time I checked you don't own this beach," John said.

Troy shook his head. "Come on, Gabriella." He grabbed her arm lightly and pulled her slowly back to their spot. Gabriella took off her cover up and shimmied out of her denim jeans, leaving her in her purple bikini with white polka dots. She sunk low into the sand and giggled. "Let's make a sand castle."

"What are you, five?" Troy asked. He crouched down next to her. "Can I bury you instead?"

"No! I don't know what's in this sand. For all we know a crab could come and pinch me."

"Don't be dramatic," Troy said. Gabriella rolled her eyes and laid down. Troy smirked and started throwing sand onto her. Gabriella squealed as seaweed touched her skin. Troy laughed. "It's just seaweed."

"It's all wet and sandy," she said. She noticed something crawling by her leg. "Troy…is that a crab?"

Troy looked at her leg and chuckled. A crab was crawling by her leg. It made its way on top of her and Gabriella screamed while Troy laughed. She thrashed her legs in the air causing the crab to flutter off and sail into the air.

"Troy, you're such an ass!" Gabriella exclaimed, hitting him. Troy continued to laugh and Gabriella joined in a moment later. "You should've seen your face," Troy said. "You looked like you just saw a ghost."

"Crabs are disgusting," Gabriella said. 'They have beady eyes and that's why I never eat them."

"They're more scared of you than you are of them. Imagine you being a crab and a human were walking by. Since there would be a very large size difference, you would be scared and try and defend yourself."

Gabriella shook her head and stood. She brushed and shook the sand off her body. "You should wear bikinis more often," Troy said.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and put her hair up in a messy bun. She pulled Troy up. "Let's go out into the water. I wanna swim."

"But my hair will get wet," Troy insisted. "It took me five whole minutes to comb it. _Five_! Can you believe it?"

Gabriella smiled and crossed her arms. "No, Troy, I can't believe it."

"So, therefore, I am not going into the water."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and dragged him with her anyway. "No!" Troy whined like a seven year old. "I don't wanna go in!" People started looking their way, casting confused glances. Gabriella turned and glared at Troy. "Troy shut up! People are looking."

"Good, then they will know how bad of a girlfriend you are. Now get off of me!" Troy started whining his protest again and Gabriella groaned. She let go of his hand and stalked back to their seat. "You're so annoying," Gabriella said.

Troy turned and followed her. "You mad?"

Gabriella kept her back to him, hiding a grin. "Yes. I hate drawing attention to me."

"Well, I'm sorry."

"Well, I'm not accepting your apology," Gabriella said. She sat down and kept the smile off of her face. After years of acting, it was really paying off.

"Oh, come on, Brie. I hate when you're mad at me."

Silence.

"Oh, so you're going to the silent treatment now? Well, guess what, I can do that too." Troy sat down by her and crossed his arms. Gabriella looked at him and quirked her eyebrow. Troy looked at her and sighed.

"Gabriella, you—are you smiling?"

"No," Gabriella said, trying to keep the smile off of her face. She failed and busted out laughing. "You should've seen your face."

"That's not funny," Troy said. He frowned and Gabriella crawled into his lap. Gabriella sat up so she was straddling her lap and rested her arms on his broad shoulders. "You know I was kidding. This is basically 'Kid All Day' day…or something like that." When Troy didn't say anything Gabriella tried another tactic. She pressed her lips to his. Troy resisted the urge to kiss her back though.

"Troy, I was playing," Gabriella whined against his lips. She pulled away from him and smiled. "You can't ignore me forever." She started gyrating her hips in a circular motion against him. She smirked as Troy's eyes began to dilate and the familiar look of lust flashed softly in the depths of them. Gabriella pressed herself against him. "Troy," she whined.

Gabriella pressed her lips to his again. Troy bit his tongue, refusing to kiss her back. After a moment she leaned away from him. She dropped her arms from his shoulders. She leaned back on her arms, putting her weight on them. "You know you wanna talk," Gabriella urged as she started moving her hips against his.

"I bet that the paps are near and are taking pictures," Troy said, his eyebrows rising softly. Gabriella's eyes went wide and she quickly scrambled off of his lap. Her face was burning and her eyes were quickly darting around her. When she saw no paps, she turned to face Troy. "You're so mean."

"At least I don't tease my boyfriend," Troy said. Gabriella's eyebrows rose. "Troy, you don't have a boyfriend."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't think I do. Maybe you should elaborate."

Troy rolled his eyes and laid back. He pulled on his sunglasses and peered up at the sun. Gabriella let out an incensed sigh and climbed on top of him. Troy lifted his sunglasses off of his eyes and stared up into Gabriella's angry brown eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna sit on you until you stop being so damn difficult."

Troy grasped her waist and effortlessly and carefully sat her down next to him. He sat up and pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes. "Have fun with that."

"Well, fine. I'll be with my good sister Selena, and my two best friends. You know, because they aren't stubborn or difficult." Gabriella stood up and walked towards the volleyball game. Leilani spotted her and ran to her, squealing lightly. "The one with the blonde hair is _Australian_! My god, his accent is _so hot_! And the two with the cool tattoos and black hair are twins. And British! And then the fourth guy, he's American, but so, so hot!"

Gabriella smiled. "Well, seems like you're attracted to some people…"

"C'mon, you gotta play with us! Hey, where's Troy?"

"He's resting," Gabriella said, looking back at Troy. She could faintly see the grin tugging at his lips.

"Well good. Then the teams are even. Now let's go!" Leilani dragged her over to her to the boys. "Boys, this is Selena's sister and my best friend, Gabriella," Leilani said.

The blonde Australian smiled warmly. "I love your music," he said in a heavy Australian accent. He extended his hand. "I'm Jared. This here is Derrick and Darren." He pointed to each and they said hi. Gabriella politely said hi back before the game began.

"I suck at this," Gabriella complained ten minutes later when the ball once again sailed past her and landed into the sand behind her. Selena laughed and picked the ball up. She spiked it back to the boys. "Mami took us to play volleyball when we were in Miami that summer, remember?"

"Yes…and I sucked then too."

"You guys went to Miami before?" Maxine asked.

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. It was two summers ago, I think."

"I've always wanted to go to Miami!" Leilani shrieked. "There are so many surf boys." Maxine nodded her agreement. She snuck a glanced at Jared. "Though the boys here are pretty hot…"

"How about we ask Rosie if we could all go to Miami next weekend or something? Next week we have off Thursday and Friday and then we have Saturday and Sunday," Selena suggested.

"That's a great idea," Gabriella said.

"But Rosie's hard to persuade," Maxine warned.

"Well, how about we start operation Convince Rosie?"

"Cool!" Selena exclaimed. "I've always wanted to do one of those mission thingies."

…

Rosie sighed when she felt something solid and warm beneath her foot. She lifted her foot. Loco looked up at her, his eyes big, round and innocent. "Loco," she muttered. "Reva!"

Rosie scraped her foot on the ground before unlocking the door and stepping in. The lights were off. She flicked the lights on and was surprised to see all the kids stood there. The living room was tidy and there was a cake settled in Reva's hands. Rosie's eyebrows rose. "Clean room, fattening, but yummy-looming cake. Okay, what do you guys want or what did you do?"

"Why do we always have to want something?" Reva said. "Can't we just do something for our favorite person in the world?" Rosie sat her groceries down and expected the room. Everything seems fine."

"Okay, fine, we want to go to Miami," Selena said.

"Miami? Guys, you all have school and I have crazy work hours."

"We have off Thursday and Friday," Gabriella said. "Plus we have Saturday and Sunday. And you've been going to work everyday. Have you even taken time off? Your job has to give you some days off."

Rosie sighed. "Well…okay. Fine." Rosie smiled when they all started cheering. Sammy jumped on the couch, a chocolate bar in his hand as he bounced. "Yay! We're going to Mami!"

"It's Miami, Sammy," Maxine said, laughing. She took Sammy off the couch. "Okay, yes, I know you're all happy," Rosie said. "But we still have two days before we leave. Plus, Julie and Steve need to agree on Maxine and Sammy going."

"It's already done," Maxine said. "I think they're getting tired of us already."

"We need mone—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Selena interrupted.

"We have to go shopping!" Leilani gasped.

"Count me out," Emil said. "I don't know about Troy over there or the Sam Monster—"

"Hey, you know that actually has a nice ring to it," Sammy said.

"—but I'm not going," Emil finished.

"Count me out, too," Troy said.

"No, you guys have to come." Gabriella whined. "You have to tell us how we look."

"We are fine," Emil said. He plopped down on the couch next to Try and turned to The Young and the Restless. "Oh, dude, this show is the bomb!" They all looked at him. "What? It is! This is the episode when Victor learns that Nikki is missing and when Billy lashes out on Victor!"

"Dude, you are so gay," Troy said. Emil threw a pillow at him, but Troy caught it, smirking. "Remember? I'm on the basketball team."

"And the season is coming up," Gabriella said. "I wanna see you play."

"You will," Troy assured her. He pulled her into his lap and she snuggled into him, smiling. "Aw…you guys make me gag," Leilani said. She pulled Gabriella up. "And so that won't happen, we're leaving to the mall now."

"Have fun," Rosie called after them. "And be home before eight!"

"I thought curfew was at eleven."

"On school nights it's nine. But you guys need to also get home for dinner." Rosie grinned. "I'm making my famous chicken—"

"Yeah, we'll just eat at a McDonalds or something," Maxine said. The girls quickly moved out of the house and trotted towards Selena's and Gabriella's car. "We can pick up Taylor. The Twins went back to LA for a week and Kelsi's going over plans for the musical with Ryan."

"These damn heels are giving me blisters," Reva complained.

"Maybe because they're like six inches tall," Gabriella said.

"Actually, they're five and half inches tall," Reva said. She yanked the heels off and replaced them with some flip slops. "Much better."

"Where's Taylor's house?"

"I think she's at Chad's…"

"Chad? They made up?"

Leilani snorted. "More liked hooked up. There was a party last night and they went and hooked up. I don't know if Tay will trust him as much—I'm sure as hell not—but they are back together."

"I forgive him," Gabriella said.

"How could you? He nearly broke you and Troy up."

"True, but Reyna got into his mind. She's in Hunter's too…"

"Actually, Reyna's dad is letting him, his parents and his little sister stay with them," Maxine said. "That's why Hunter has to do what Reyna says or else they're off to the streets."

"That's horrible," Selena said. "How could you be that cruel?"

"That's Reyna for you."

"Turn here," Leilani said. "Chad's house is the last house."

Gabriella was about to turn down the street when Reva screamed. The car jerked to the left and the tired screamed at the road. The girls gripped their seats while Reva continued screaming. "What?" Gabriella yelled, stomping on the brake as the car rolled up onto the curb. "What the hell, Reva? We could have gotten into a car crash!"

"There's a huge, huge bug!" Reva screeched. Selena's eyes went wide and she let out a terrified squeal of her own. "Shit, that thing is huge…"

"Kill it!" Maxine squeaked.

Leilani let out an exasperated sigh and reached down. She grabbed the bug off the floor. "Aw, guys, it's just a hissing cockroach."

"Ew, seriously? Throw it out the window," Gabriella said.

Leilani smiled and gently let the bug crawl out of the car. Reva let out a breath and sat down in her seat. "How can you touch it?"

"Hissing cockroaches are so cute."

"You should get your eyes checked," Selena said.

Gabriella backed up from the curb and got back on the street. She left down the road and towards Chad's house. "You drive so slow, Gabriella," Selena groaned.

"I can't get into an accident. I'm supposed to be driving with an adult."

"No, don't turn on the Gabriella fast drive mode," Reva said.

"What's wrong with that Gabriella?" Gabriella asked.

"Ask the cat you almost ran over last week," Reva said.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and carefully parked in Chad's driveway. "Shut up." They all climbed out of the car and made their way towards the door. Leilani rung the doorbell and smiled softly as Charlene Danforth stepped out onto the porch. "Hi, Charlene."

"Hey. Chad's out back shooting hoops with his cousin. You guys want to come in and have a few snacks?"

"We actually came here to see Taylor. Is she here?"

"Yeah." Charlene opened the door wider and they stepped in. "Still mad at him?"

"It's complicated," Gabriella said.

"I'm so sorry. Sometimes Chad just acts so…not himself."

"It's okay." Charlene smiled. She walked towards the back door and slid it open. "Taylor!" Taylor looked up Charlene beckoned for her to come inside and Taylor stood up and made her way towards her. "Yeah?"

"Friends are here."

"Hey guys," Taylor said. "What's up?"

"We're going shopping. You in?"

"Definitely. Let me just say goodbye to Chad and grab my stuff." Taylor turned and walked out of the door. She came back a minute later with a smile and her bag. "Okay, I'm ready."

…

"This is major cute!" Leilani squealed. She held up a short army jacket with a matching short skirt. "I'm buying it."

"Why don't you buy out the whole store?" Reva groaned. She dropped the bags latched onto her arms. "Seriously, all of Forever 21 is in your bags."

"And yet she's still not done," Maxine sighed.

"Got that right," Leilani agreed. She draped the outfit over her arm and started searching for more. "We also need to visit Victoria Secrets. Hot trip means hot lingerie."

"Who are you wearing it for?"

"Not me. Gabriella and possibly Reva." Leilani shot Reva a look. Reva rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I told you. I'm waiting."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Gabriella said. Reva nodded and sighed. When Leilani was done searching for clothes to buy they moved on to American Eagle. However, Reva couldn't keep her mind off of the topic of sex. There had been a few times when she and Emil had been in her room in a heated make-out session. She could tell by how excited Emil was and by eager he was that he was ready. But weren't all teenage boys like that? Hormonal and horny 24/7?

"Reva."

She had caught Emil with like five erections already. One of them had been when she had just walked into the room. Did she really have that big of an affect on him? She had no curves and popping body features and she was only fourteen.

"Reva…"

Was she even ready for this? A serious relationship that they've been in for a few months? Troy and Gabriella had said they loved each other two weeks after they met. Gabriella had said she knew because of how Troy would make her feel. Butterflies restlessly fluttering in your stomach, whenever Troy touched her he left a warm, tingly sensation on her skin and the sweet feeling as your heart swells up from him just walking into the room.

Oh God, she felt like she was in a sappy love movie.

"Reva!"

Maybe this was a sappy love movie…

"Reva!"

Reva jumped, nerves shaking her body al the way to her toes. She snapped her head around to see Gabriella standing there, a lock of worry and confusion itched on her face. "Huh? Sorry…I zoned out."

"About what? You looked…scared." When Reva turned her head away and didn't say anything Gabriella took another step forward. Usually Reva would deny that she was scared. But she couldn't because she was scared.

"Okay, so what's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"It's…I'm…" Reva paused, not sure what to say. "I…it's nothing."

Gabriella grabbed Reva's arm and hauled her towards the dressing rooms. She sat them down on the bench and looked at her straight in the eyes, seeing Reva's scared brown eyes resemble how she looked when she was fourteen and almost got attacked by a crazed fan. If she was that scared, it had to be bad. "Don't tell me nothing's wrong, Rev. Seriously, what's wrong?"

"I told you, Gabriella. It's nothing." Reva moved to get up, but Gabriella pulled her back down, not yet done with this conversation. She looked at Reva, her eyes rigid with validity. "Tell me. No matter how bad it is I won't get mad."

Reva sighed and sat back down. "Okay…fine. I think…I…I might be in love with Emil." Gabriella sat there, shock riding her body restively. Reva directed her eyes to the floor, the nerves in her body becoming more and more irritating. It was only when she heard Gabriella giggle when she looked back up. "What's funny? I find nothing about this funny, Gabriella."

"No, no, Reva, it's not that it's just…you're in love?" Gabriella's laughter faded softly into the dense air after a second. "Really?"

"Yeah…I mean, I don't know. I _think_ I am."

"Has Emil ever forced you into something or, you know, suggest something?"

"Are we talking about sex?" Gabriella nodded mutely and Reva sighed. "No. Well, he gets…erections."

"Typical teenage boy hormones. Are you sure this isn't just about sex? Sometimes infatuation makes you think you're in love."

"That's not fair, Gabriella," Reva said. "You and Troy hadn't even known each other for a month and you're already saying 'I love you'. This may not be just infatuation. It may be real."

"Reva, you're only fourteen."

"And you're only seventeen! You're young, too. What if what you're feeling is just "infatuation"?" Reva air quoted as the word infatuation came up. Gabriella winced and stood up along with Reva. "Rev, you know that isn't true."

"Well then how do you know that what Emil and I have isn't true?"

"Because you're only fourteen! You're not in love."

"Look Gabriella, you're not my mom. You're my sister, so stop trying to control me. I'm out of here."

"I'm trying to protect you," Gabriella insisted. Reva reached for the door handle, but Gabriella grabbed her wrist, pulling her back gently. "Reva, listen to me. You don't know what sick, twisted things are inside of boys minds. Sometimes their very excited and do stuff."

"Emil isn't like that and you know it," Reva hissed. "Now let go of me!" She jerked her wrist from Gabriella's hold.

"Reva, please," Gabriella said. "Don't do something you'll regret." Reva looked at her with firm eyes before turning and stalking out of the stall. Gabriella sighed and followed after her.

"Where were you guys?" Selena asked, coming up next to Gabriella. Gabriella sighed and shook her head. "Just having a small chat."

…

"Your brother better not take my sisters innocence," Gabriella said to Troy that night. Troy looked at her, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Huh?"

Gabriella sighed. "Reva thinks their in love. But Troy, they're fourteen. They're not in love."

"You sound like a mom," Troy said, tilting his head to the side and flashing a brilliant smile. "Maybe they are in love."

"They're not," Gabriella argued. "They're teenagers."

Troy quirked an eyebrow, his smile slowly tugging into a smirk. "And we're not?"

"Troy, don't test me," Gabriella demanded. Troy shrugged innocently. He tightened his hold on her waist when Gabriella tried to stand up. "Nuh uh. I'm cold and you're warming me up."

"I wanna check on Reva. I kind of put a dent on our best sister's position," Gabriella said. Troy sighed and unlatched his arms from around her waist. Gabriella gave him a kiss on the cheek before making her way out of the room. She walked down the hall towards Reva's room and opened it.

To say she was surprised seeing Reva only in her bra and pants with Emil on top of her shirtless was a total understatement.

Reva gasped and yanked the covers up to cover her barely covered chest. Emil hastily reached for his shirt and yanked it on.

"Reva," Gabriella whispered. Rosie came up to the door. "Any of you guys want some hot choc—what is going on in here?"

Reva quickly grabbed for her shirt and pulled it on as well. "Rosie—we—I…"

"Reva, go down stairs. Emil go in your room—I'll get you later." The two followed the directions; each had big frowns on their faces.

"I'm gonna go," Gabriella said. Rosie nodded and Gabriella walked back to her room. Rosie spotted the condom packet that was unused settled in the disheveled sheets. She snatched it up before walking down stairs.

Reva sighed and leaned back in the couch. She knew this was stupid. She and Emil were sharing a house with five other people. Of course they were bound to get caught. And it just had to be Gabriella _and_ Rosie.

Rosie sat down on the couch opposite of Reva and sighed. "Were you and Emil going to have sex?"

"Yes. But Rosie, we love each other," Reva said before Rosie could say anything.

"Reva, you're fourteen. You think I'm going to believe that?"

"You believed Troy and Gabriella."

"That's because they're older, Reva. You're practically still a kid. You're too young to have sex and you know that."

"That's not fair," Reva groaned. "You can be any age and fall in love!"

"You're too young," Rosie repeated again. "I don't want to catch you and Emil in the same bed again, do you understand?"

"You're not my mother," Reva said. "You don't own me and you sure as hell can't tell me what to do."

"But you are living under my roof so that means you're living under my rules."

Reva sat there, debating whether she should argue back or do as she was told. She took the latter and trudged up stairs, a frown etched on her face. "And I'm going to have a chat with your mother," Rosie called after her, feeling a firm pull on her stomach.

"Whatever," Reva called after her. Rosie winced when her door slammed stridently behind her. She sighed and leaned back on the couch. She absolutely hated this. She wasn't used to being the protective mother type, but she felt the need to do this. You're only fourteen once and you have to live that one chance to your fullest. That meant to take your time with falling in love. And what if something went wrong when they did it? What if she became pregnant? Her life would be thrown away…well the same would happen to Gabriella and Troy. They're all teens.

Rosie groaned and threw her head back. Having teenagers living with you is annoying. They're hormonal features follow.

* * *

><p><strong>I<strong> **know what you're thinking. WHAT A STUPID CHAPTER! But seriously guys, I have MAJOR writers block. Now let me tell you something, John has a part in this story. Yep, I just decided that while writing this chapter. Anyway, this is also where violence enters the story. **

**Also, I start school next Wednesday on August 10th. That means very few updates. **

**Has anyone saw the picture with Vanessa smoking? I have. But don't worry, I still love Vanessa Hudgens and support her. My dad has the same habit.**

**Has anyone seen teh New Years Eve trailer yet? I can't wait until New Years ****Eve comes out Dec. 9th! Yay! The trailer was awesome! **

**Okay, and one more thing...I ****think you know whats coming...**

**REVIEW! Please? Thanks!**

**Thanks!-Brittany **


	25. You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home

**Chapter 25**

**I own NO song and neither does the Montez Trio (: But I wish I/they did. **

**You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home**

**Oh, and this is an M-Rated chapter. For later chapters, I will not be warning you, so read at your own risk...**

**One more thing. I don't own that "Roses are red Violets are blue blah, blah, blah stuff. I got it off of YouTube. I know, how awesome am I? **

Breakfast was silent and awkward. Reva had stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth before leaving for the bus with Emil.

"What's up?" Selena and Leilani asked at the same time. They casted each other looks before breaking out into a smile. Gabriella sighed as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Four words. Reva. Is. Having. Sex."

Leilani gasped and Selena nearly chocked on her bacon. "Huh?"

"With Emil?" Leilani added.

"Who else? Rosie and I walked in on them."

"I think I was too harsh on her last night," Rosie sighed. "I yelled. I mean, not a high yell, but I raised my voice a bit. I even said I'd tell her mom."

"Did you?"

"No. I'm not _that_ mean."

"Well, we're heading out," Troy said.

"Bye."

…

"Reva hates me," Gabriella sulked. "I tried to catch up with her but she ran."

"It'll pass," Troy assured her.

"What will pass?" Reyna asked as she popped up next to them. "The dance on Monday?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "No, Reyna. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go." They walked off and Reyna rolled her eyes. She leaned against her locker and shook her head. "Bitch. I don't know what he sees in her."

Paige Hawke, one of Reyna's friends, cocked her head to the side watching as Gabriella walked away. "I don't know. She has really great hair and a body to die for—ow!" Paige rubbed her arm where Reyna had pinched her. "What was that for?"

"The only person you're allowed to envy is me," Reyna snapped.

"I never said I envied her," Paige said. "Sure, I was thinking it, but—ouch!" Paige rubbed her stomach where Reyna had hit her again. "Okay, sorry."

"She's the enemy, remember that," Reyna hissed. "Let's go." Paige and Brittani followed after Reyna, their heads full of blonde hair lifted up high.

Hunter met them as they made their way to homeroom. "Plan B to sabotage Troyella starts at prom," Reyna told him. Hunter nodded and turned around. He gasped as his body collided with someone else's. Evelynn stumbled backwards. Hunter quickly reached out so she wouldn't fall and smiled. "Funny how we keep meeting like this."

Evelynn smiled. "Hi, Hunter."

Hunter grinned. "Hey."

Reyna smirked. She stepped into Evelynn's view. "Hi. I'm Reyna Petro, Hunter's…cousin."

Evelynn smiled. "Hi. I'm Evelynn. Nice to meet you."

"Sure, whatever." Reyna grinned and draped an arm around her shoulders. "So, you know Gabriella Montez? She's way awesome."

"Uh…yeah. I mean, we're partners for a project but that's it…"

"That is so cool," Reyna exclaimed faking happiness. "I bet it's awesome. Is she smart?"

"Yeah. She is. Especially for someone who grew up homeschooled." Evelynn let out an uneasy laugh and Reyna followed after her. "I know, how ironic. So, you going to the dance?"

"Reyna," Hunter hissed. He'd let Reyna squirm her way into someone else's mind, but not Evelynn's. She was too good to be spoiled. Reyna looked at him, a smirk on her face. "What?" she said innocently. She turned to look back at Evelynn. "Just talking to my new friend. So, how 'bout it? You going to the dance Monday?"

"I mean…I don't know. I don't have a date."

"Don't need one," Reyna grinned. "You could go with some friends. Or…maybe even Hunter. He wants to go with you."

Evelynn turned to look at hunter, her eyes wide. Hunter looked at Reyna, venom riding in his eyes. Reyna smiled sweetly before stepping away from Evelynn. "I'm gonna go. Why don't you two talk?" Before they could say anything, Reyna dashed off, giggling peevishly with Paige and Britney.

"Don't listen to Reyna," Hunter said. "She's bad news. Don't let her take you into her trap."

"Huh?"

"Don't believe a word she says."

Evelynn smiled. "So you don't want to go to prom with me?"

"Well…I mean, if you want to go."

"Is that an invitation?" Evelynn grinned, stepping closer to him. Hunter smirked. "Yeah, it is. I'll pick you up at eight."

Evelynn smiled and nodded. "Okay. _Don't_ be late. Thanks for the warning about Reyna, too. Trust me, I've run into obnoxious wannabe bad girls before and it hasn't turned out pretty. I want at least one safe haven to stay in."

Hunter grinned. "Well here it is."

"See you around?" Hunter nodded and Evelynn turned and disappeared through the crowd of students.

…

"Damn period," Gabriella cursed. Sharpay looked up, a look of disgust crossing her face. "Hello! Am I not eating right now?"

Gabriella sent her an apologetic look. "Sorry. I hate these pads."

"Should I leave in case girl talk comes up?" Troy asked, Ryan and Chad agreeing. Chad had joined the gang once Taylor talked to them that he was sorry. As long as it was okay with Gabriella and Troy, it was okay with everyone. Well, all except Leilani.

"No girl talk," Selena said. "Well, at least no period talk. I'm eating pizza and I rather not think of my tomato sauce as blood." She looked down at her food and made a gagging sound. "Oh, ew. Yeah, I've lost my appetite."

"I got cramps," Gabriella announced. "Really bad ones."

"The nurse has got some medicine for that," Maxine said, scooping up some macaroni and placing it into her mouth.

"Bolton!" Troy looked up from Gabriella's hair he was currently playing in. Stephen Jones and a couple of other guys form the football team wee striding over. Leilani rolled her eyes. "Looks like the herd of cows have come."

"You know you love us," Stephen said, beaming down at Leilani.

"Jones, I wanna tell you a short little poem," Leilani said. Jones leaned on the table, smiling down at her. "Roses are red," Leilani started, dragging her hand up his arm. "Violets are blue. I have five fingers and the middle ones for you." Leilani flashed him her middle finger before pushing his arm causing him to fall. The cafeteria chorused into laughter. Stephens's cheeks tinted a bright shade of red. "Yeah, well…it's not like I want you anyway."

"Great comeback, Jones," Leilani said, sarcasm ripping through her voice.

"Did you come over here for a purpose?" Troy questioned, reminding the two that other people were still here. Stephen nodded. "Yeah. Some guys from West High are here to see you. You better get them off our property Bolton before I throw them off."

"I got them," Troy said. He nodded for Chad to follow him. Gabriella gave him a peck on the lips before Troy departed towards the field. Stephen grinned down at Gabriella. "So—"

"Don't even try it," Gabriella demanded, holding a hand up to stop him. Stephen sighed and shrugged before leaving after Troy and Chad.

"Come on, we have to go see this," Selena said. She, Maxine, Leilani and the rest of the table left after the boys.

Gabriella was about to leave when she saw Reva by the door, talking and laughing with Emil. She felt a pang in her chest. They _did_ look like they were in love. I guess it was just hard for her to admit because Reva was her littlest sister and she didn't want to her to go yet. She didn't want her to be her own person yet. She still wanted to be the big sister to help guide her through life.

Gabriella sighed and walked slowly towards Reva and Emil. "Rev…can I talk to you?"

Reva looked at her. "I have nothing to say."

"I wanted to say that I give this relationship one hundred percent," Gabriella said, ignoring Reva's answer.

Reva was taken by surprise. "Huh?"

"I'm not happy that you might be having sex this young, but…if you guys love each other, I can't get in the way of that."

Reva's lips tugged up into a smile. "Really?"

"Yes. But please, make sure you're doing it in an empty house so no one can walk in. I don't want to see my little sister and my boyfriend's little brother having sex."

Emil grinned. "Don't worry. You won't."

Gabriella smiled. "So, we're cool, right? I seriously can't stand having you be mad at me."

"We're sisters," Reva said. "We'll get mad at each other once in a while. But for now, yeah. We're cool."

Gabriella smiled. "Good, because I think I'll be able to see my boyfriend and his manly friends kick some boys from West High out."

Reva giggled and Emil laughed. "Seriously! Dude, I have to see this!"

…

"John, what are you doing here?' Troy asked, his arms crossing over his muscular chest as he stared at John with bottomless hatred. John smirked and spun his basketball on his finger. He looked at Troy. "Just stopping by to say that we'll be taking the championship trophy with us. Just a heads up."

Troy shook his head. "Leave. Now."

"But the party just began." He smiled.

"Dude, he said leave so leave!" Chad barked. "I advise you to or else I won't be asking nicely."

John smirked. "Got any cheerleaders around here? How about you girlfriend, Bolton? She has a fine ass."

Before Troy could stop himself, he threw his punch at John's jaw, hitting him for the second time in a week. There were gasp around Troy as John stumbled back, clearly effected by the sudden blow.

The other West High members charged for Troy, creating havoc from East High. Punches were thrown, grunts and groans were barked and the gathering of East High's students was slowly forming.

"Get the principal," some kid said. Two girls ran off towards the school building to get Principal Matsui. Gabriella and Leilani gasped as John threw a punch at Troy. "Troy!" Gabriella yelled.

"Enough!" a voice boomed through the field and everything froze. Johns topped in mid-punch. He threw Troy to the ground before him and his team took a sprint out of East High's property.

Gabriella ran to Troy's aid. She cradled his head in her lap, examining the bruise slowly starting to form just above his eyebrow. "Damn, Troy," she muttered.

"What was going on here?" Principal Matsui said his face red from anger.

"Some guys from West Hugh came here and started this," Stephen said. "Said some crap stuff and Bolton took a punch at his jaw."

Gabriella helped Troy stand when Principal Matsui turned his head to them. "Is that true, Troy?"

"Yeah…but only because he's a jackass."

"Gabriella, can you take him to the nurse? After that, I want you in my office, Bolton. And you bystanders I want gone!" The students cleared the area and Gabriella gently helped Troy wobble to Miss Tinner.

"I don't understand how I can love you when you make me do this crap for you," Gabriela teased gently. Troy grinned at her. "I'm not crippled. You can let me go."

"I like touching you," Gabriella admitted saucily running her hands down his arm. Troy chuckled and kissed her softly on the temple before they entered Miss Tinner's office. Miss Tinner look up and smiled. "Well, if it isn't the lovely couple. God, Troy what happened to your pretty face?"

Troy chuckled. "Well, I got punched."

"Hm, okay. I'll get an ice pack and something to clean that up." Troy nodded and Miss Tinner walked to the freezer. She pulled out an ice pack and handed it to Troy. Troy placed it on his brow, wincing at the sting. Miss Tinner left to the back to retrieve some medicine.

"It hurts?" Gabriella asked, her bottom lip slipping between her teeth in worry. She hated seeing Troy in pain. Especially since the comment that had came from John's mouth had been about her and that's what started this all.

"Just a bit," Troy answered truthfully. "But it's fine."

"It's not," Gabriella said. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Well, the comment was about me. So it's kind of my fault."

"It's not," Troy denied. He smiled. "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?'

Gabriella felt her lips tugging up into a smile. "No, but it's good to hear." She pressed her lips softly to his in a slow, sentimental kiss. When Gabriella felt Troy's finger tease the skin underneath her blouse, she pulled back form his lips and giggled softly. "Stop," she ordered. "Miss Tinner already saw us making out and getting all touchy feely with each other."

"And as I told you before, she won't mind if we're having—"

"Finish that and you'll die," Gabriella threatened, jabbing her finger softly into his chest. Troy grinned and lifted her finger off of his chest. He turned her hand around and kissed down her palm and down her arm. Gabriella felt her eyes flutter closed as he left an inferno trail with his kisses.

"Well, Troy, I do have some medicine for you cut…I know it's around her somewhere." Gabriella and Troy sprung apart as if the two had been electrocuted. They looked towards Miss Tinner who was coming out of the back room with two bottles. She looked up at them and smiled. "Take this. It'll help ease the pain." Miss Tinner handed him a bottle of pain meds and a cup of water and Troy took it. He gulped the medicine down and smiled thankfully at Miss Tinner. "Thanks, Miss T."

"Your welcome. Now you hold that pack over your brow for a while and it'll swell down."

Troy nodded. "Okay, I have to go to Matsui."

"Okay. And no more fighting in this school, Troy." Troy nodded and left with Gabriella. Gabriela wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him close to her. "Here that, Troy? No more punching people."

"Sure. Just as long as they make no more makeshift comments about you."

Gabriella tilted her head to the side, a small smile playing at her lips. "When did you own a big vocabulary?"

"Haven't I told you this already? I know Taylor."

Gabriella smiled. "And you know how to get in trouble." They stopped at principal Matsui's office door. She tilted her head back and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "See you sixth period." She turned and walked away. Troy sighed and walked into Matsui's office. He was twirling a plus basketball in his hands as he looked at a picture of his family.

"Sir?" Matsui looked up. He nodded his head to a chair. "Sit." Troy sat down obediently. "You know I don't tolerate any warfare in my school. And what I saw when I walked onto the field was a scandal to our school. I don't care how big of a detestation you have towards the Knights, but you will not bring that hatred to this school. Do I make myself clear, Troy."

"Yes, sir. But they made a comment about Gabriella. I wasn't going to just stand there."

"I'm glad you care about your girlfriend, Troy, but I still will not let this go past me. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to suspend you from prom since it's coming up."

Troy sat up, his eyes wide. "What? Sir, you can't do that."

"I can and I will," Matsui said decisively. "Now get to class, Troy. There will be no more discussion of this."

Troy sat there, a stunned silence etched into his face. Principal Matsui nodded his head towards the door. Troy stood up and kicked the chair. He gave Matsui a glare before exiting the room with an earsplitting slam. Principal Matsui sighed and put the plush basketball down.

…

"What happened with Principal Matsui?" Emil tried to ask again for the sixth time. He couldn't take the look of defeat written on Troy's face. And the frown tugging at his lips. Gabriella couldn't even get it out of him. "It's bad isn't it?"

"Fine, you want to know?" Troy asked, his tone slicing into Emil with venom. He whirled around to face Emil. "I can't go to prom."

"That's it?"

Troy sighed. "No, that's not it. This is Gabriella's first and only prom. Now I've ruined it for her because I can't keep from punching a guy."

"She can still have fun," Emil insisted.

"But I want to dance with her. I want to escort her to the most amazing night of her life. She already picked out a dress and I want to see her dance in it with me holding her." Troy sighed. "I've ruined her prom."

"Don't think of it that way," Emil said.

"Hey, what was your punishment?" Leilani asked as she came up to them with Gabriella, Maxine, Reva, Selena, Sharpay and Kelsi.

"He's devastated," Emil announced.

Gabriella looked at him. "Come on, Troy. It can't be that bad. At the least you have to be suspended?"

"Yep," Troy said. "Suspended from prom."

Gabriella's mouth went agape. "What? He—he can't suspend you from prom!" she stammered out. "That's not fair."

"It's my punishment," Troy said. "So he is allowed to." Gabriella shook her head and marched off. Troy sighed and followed aft her. "Gabriella…"

"Then I won't go to prom," Gabriella said, turning to face him. "We could settle for a movie and have some popcorn. It'll all be the same if I'm with you, really."

Troy grabbed her shoulder gently. "No. You're going to prom. I don't want to make you give up your chance at prom. Your mom comes home from tour in two months…"

Gabriella shook her head. "No."

"Yes. Plus, it doesn't really matter. We have Miami to hang out and watch movies and eat popcorn." Troy cracked a smile. "But you have to go to prom."

Gabriella sighed. "Fine. But it won't be the same without you there. And I won't like it."

"Yes you will. You have your sisters and your friends."

Gabriella sighed. "Well, yeah I do, but I can't kiss them, can I?" Gabriella sent him a teasing smile and wrapped her arm around his waist. Troy returned the smile and kissed the top of her head. "No, you can't. Bot feel free to kiss me."

Gabriella smiled. She tilted her head backwards and let Troy push his lips gently onto hers. She completely melted into his arms. "Love you, Wildcat," she whispered, departing their lips. She reached a hand up to trace his cheek. "I love you, too," Troy said.

...

"You look overwhelming." Gabriella looked up from her gummy worms and smiled. Troy continued his journey down the stairs, dressed in a white beater and boxers. "I look like shit," Gabriella argued. Troy shook his head and took a minute to look over her. She usually woke up at a decent time in the morning, brushed her teeth, washed up, and fixed her hair. But instead she had her hair set up in a messy bun with tresses of hair falling into her eyes. She was clad in gray sweats a a tank top the rode up, showing a bit of her toned stomach.

Troy grinned and plopped down on the couch next to her. He took the gummy worm in her hand and put one end in his mouth. "Hey," Gabriella said. She reached over and put the other end of the worm in her mouth. She took the worm from his mouth and grinned. "Never touch my gummies." Troy grinned and took another one anyway. This time he stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. "Thanks, girlfriend."

Gabriella frowned. "Whatever. Next time I'll cut your tongue off."

"But you love my tongue," Troy said. "Especially when—"

"Troy, I swear to God, if you finish that I'll definitely be cutting your tongue off." Troy just smiled cheekily before giving her a slow, sentimental kiss. When he pulled away from her he smiled. "So, why exactly are you up at—" Troy turned his head to see the clock above the archway leading to the kitchen. He looked back at Gabriella. "—2:43 Eating gummy worms?"

"Because I can," Gabriella said bluntly. "Is there a law saying I can't?"

"No, but there is a law saying you can't leave your boyfriend without his girlfriend warmth. I like waking up seeing you in my arms. However, I do not like waking up and seeing Loco and Moxie in my arms." Troy smiled and shook his head. "Why are you up?"

Gabriella sighed. "Thinking."

"About what?"

"Oh, you know, _stuff_."

Troy rolled his eyes. "What kind of stuff, Brie?"

"The stuff that will happen two months from now." She looked at him, her eyes soft and worried. "I know I keep asking and asking this question, but what will happen when we leave? I've made so many friends here, Troy. I don't want to give them up. Or you."

"That was the price at coming here, Brie," Troy said softly. He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek softly with the pad of his thumb. Gabriella sighed, her insides churning with content. She reached up and grabbed his hand, slowly bringing it down into her lap. Her fingers threaded through his and she diverted her gaze to the floor. "I'm thinking about staying here," she announced quietly. "Away from LA until we graduate from East High."

When there was nothing but silence, Gabriella forced herself to look up at Troy. He was looking at her with gentleness that you'll only see when he_ knew_ that wasn't the right decision.

And Gabriella hated that.

"Don't say it," Gabriella pleaded. "Don't say that it's a bad idea."

"I have to. You can't stay here and throw off your career. Staying in Albuquerque will get you no where."

"It'll get me somewhere with _you_," Gabriella said. "Plus, I'm not giving up my entire life, Troy. I'll go back. But I want you to go back with me."

"Gabriella...even after college I have to find myself. I can't just get up and leave here. This is my home. And Los Angles is your home, Brie."

"My home is wherever you are," Gabriella denied softly. "Can I sing you the song from my book the day of our date? I never did sing it to you..."

Troy smiled and nodded. "Of course." Troy stood and helped her up. They made their way towards the basement where all of the Trio's instruments were hidden. Gabriella led them towards the piano and sat down. "Don't fall asleep," Gabriella said to Troy, a small smile tugging at her lips. She positioned her fingers over the keys and sat up straight, letting the one thing besides Troy that warmed her heart take her.

"I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart," Gabriella sung softly, her fingers gently pressing against each key and the sound coming out beautifully. "But you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start. You put your arms around me and I believe that it's easier for you to let me go." Gabriella smiled. "You put your arms around me and I'm home." The tempo slowly quickened. Troy watched as Gabriella put all her concentration on her music.

"How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around? I can't decided if I'll let you save my life or if Ill drown. I hope that you see right through my walls. I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling. I'll never let a love get so close. You put your arms around me and I'm home." Gabriella sneaked a quick look at Troy. She grinned timidly when she saw his eyes trained on her fingers.

Her fingers moved faster and harder as the beat picked up a new rhythm and tempo. "The world is coming down on me and I can't find a reason to be loved. I never wanna leave you, but I can't make you bleed if I'm alone. You put your arms around me and I believe that it's easier for you to let me go. I hope that you see right through my walls. I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling. I'll never let a love get so close. You put your arms around me and I'm home." She dragged the word out and Troy let out a breathy chuckle. "I tried my best to never let you in to see the truth. And I've never opened up I've never truly loved till you put your arms around me and I believe that it's easier for you to let me go."

There was a solo in the piano, it's music coming out and easing around the room. "I hope that you see right through my walls. I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling. I'll never let a love get so close. You put your arms around em and I'm home." Gabriella ended the song with a few more pushes to the keys. She looked up at Troy, a smile etched onto her face. "You put your arms around me and I'm home."

Troy enveloped her into his arms, smiling as Gabriella hugged back. "See, this is my home," Gabriella said a moment later. She pulled back from the hug, but kept her arms loosely around him. "With _you_. In _your_ arms. Not that arms of fame and Hollywood."

Troy bent down slowly and Gabriella tilted her head back. Their lips slowly met. Gabriella felt herself fall limp in his arms as her stomach fluttered and flipped. She raked her nails down his chest and then grabbed his arm, pushing herself against him. "It's actually harder to let you go once you're in my arms," Troy admitted, pulling away from her lips. Gabriella smiled and softly agreed. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down to meet her lips again.

The kiss was harder, less passionate this time. Troy gripped her waist, pulling her flush against him, chest to chest. Gabriella felt a moan vibrate deep in her the back of her throat as her nipples pressed against his chest, creating sweet friction. "I love you," Troy murmured, detaching his lips from hers and moving slowly down her neck, leaving butterfly kisses. Gabriella arched into him, her head rolling backwards and her fingers slowly threading through his hair and pulling roughly. "I love you too," Gabriella said. "So much."

She sneaked her hands to the hem of his shirt and gently tugged on it. Troy pulled away from her neck and yanked off his shirt before pressing his lips hard against her bruised ones. Gabriella ran her nails down his torso, loving how his muscles clenched underneath her touch. Troy pulled back from her lips again and slowly peeled her shirt off of her body. "No bra?" he said hoarsely, looking down at her naked chest. Gabriella smiled and nodded. She tugged on his hair gently before their lips slowly connected again, bringing them back to a passionate kiss.

Troy trailed down her body slowly, coming to a stop at her breast. He took one, tight nipple in his mouth while his hand accompanied the other, one, tweaking and rolling it. Gabriella threw her head back, her breath coming out short and raspy. She shuddered under his strong grasp, not wanting nothing but for him to make love to her. "Troy," she whispered. Troy understood quickly. He got off of the bench and shimmied out of his boxers. Gabriella yanked her pants down along with her underwear and Troy grabbed her face again, kissing her softly. "I don't have a condom on me," Troy whispered, his lips inches away from hers. Gabriella smiled. "Birth control, remember?" And just as she said that, Troy gently eased his way into her.

Gabriella gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Troy," she whimpered, rocking her hips slowly with his.

"God," Troy breathed, swallowing harshly as Gabriella clenched her muscles around his tightening member.

Gabriella arched her back, her mouth opening in bliss as she took him deeper. "Oh god," she moaned wantonly. Troy thrusted deeper into her, feeling his release coming soon. Gabriella laughed softly as she saw the look on his face. "You—oh, God—okay up there, Wildcat?" Her nails raked down his back and Troy leaned his head against her forehead, looking into her eyes. He smiled, immersing deeper into her. Gabriella let out another moan of pleasuer, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist.

"Oh, god," she moaned. She could feel the wave slowly lifting and then finally dropping. Her legs pressed into his back as she arched her body completely, waves of pleasure rolling throughout her body. Troy slowed his movements, his head rolling backwards as he found his own release.

Gabriella slowly removed her legs from around him and sat up. Her body felt like jelly getting tossed around. Troy sat up also and brought her into his lap, a smile gracing his lips. He gently kissed her shoulder. "I love you," he murmured.

"I love you, too," Gabriella said. She got up off of him slowly and pulled her clothes back on. "Ready for sleep? Tomorrow we're heading to Miami. Well, it's technically today, but..." Gabriella trailed off and Troy laughed. He kissed her softly before nodding. "Yup. Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, sweet happy moment. I hate writing sex scenes. I don't know...it just feels...weird. Writing other people's sex... Oh well. Anyway, review please! I wanna know what you guys thought. Oh, and I have a poll on my profile. Go ahead and check it out and the one that has the most views will be the story I'll pay most attention too. (:<strong>

**And one more thing...I'm going to Selena Gomez's concert at the Mann Center in Philadelphia August 19th. YAY! I'm so excite. But I'm bummed because Taylor Swift is also going to be in Philly and I can't see both of them. ): Maybe next year or something.**

**Thanks!-Brittany**


	26. The Reality of Things

**Chapter 26**

**The Reality of Things**

**I own NOTHING (except for the plot)! But I wish I did (: **

"Did you cut your hair?" Selena asked as she walked into the kitchen. The first thing she noticed was Gabriella's hair. It stopped short and curly just a few inches below her shoulder blades. Gabriella nodded and ran her hand through her hair. "Yup. I cut it last night."

"Aw, I love it," Selena gushed. She touched her hair and grinned. It had grown longer since they've been in Albuquerque. It used to stop at her shoulders and now it was nearly dropping a bit after her rib cage. And she didn't even have to use extensions. "My mama told me when I was young we are all born superstars," Reva sung loudly as she twirled into the kitchen. "She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on in the glass of her boudoir. 'There's nothing wrong with loving who you are,' she said ''Cause He made you perfect, babe.' So hold your head up and you'll go far. Listen to me when I say!" Reva stopped singing and smiled. "And you guys know the rest."

"Oh, you're finally out of the shower. I mean, it only took you two hours," Selena said sarcastically. Reva grinned. "Well, it certainly doesn't take two _seconds _to look this hot." Reva was clad in a dark denim vest with a white tank top beneath it and short denim shorts. To finish off the look she had slipped on some cute gladiator sandals and had a black fringe purse slung over her shoulder. "Plus, I need to look my best. I mean, come on people, we're going to Miami! You're not supposed to look crappy." She looked at Rosie. "Hear that Rosie?"

Rosie looked down at her outfit, confused. She was in some gray sweats and a white v-neck. "Huh? But this is what I'm wearing today."

"Oh…well, then it look gorgeous," Reva said. She slipped into a stool and stole some of Gabriella's cereal. "When are we leaving?"

"Six hours," Rosie said. "Gabriella, go get ready." Gabriella hopped off of her chair before trotting out of the kitchen and up stairs. Selena sighed. "Another two hours."

Rosie shook her head. "No. Like I said, we leave in six hours. Maxine and Sammy still need to get ready, you, Leilani, Emil and Troy still need to get ready. That'll take maybe four hours or so. This isn't a private jet. The pilot won't wait for us."

"Why don't we just use a private jet?" Reva groaned.

"Because normal kids don't fly in private jets," Rosie said.

"And that sucks," Leilani said as she came into the kitchen. Everyone gawked at her. "What?"

"Your really, really curly hair is now really, really…straight," Selena whispered as if she couldn't believe it. Leilani nodded. "Yeah. I straightened it before when I was like fourteen. You like it?"

"It's so pretty," Reva said. Rosie and Selena agreed. "You should keep it straight, Lei."

"I can't. Since it's so hot here my hair just gets curly. It never stays straight. I'll give this 'do eight hours before it's alive and has a mind of its own."

"When'd you get ready?" Selena asked.

"While Reva was doing her hair I got in the shower." Leilani looked at Reva. "You didn't peak, did you?"

"No," Reva lied. She bit her lip so she wouldn't break out laughing, but she failed the attempt. "Okay, maybe I did. You have a nice birth mark on your ass."

"You know how creepy that is, Rev? I'm so violated." Reva grinned and hugged her before going back to her cereal. All of a sudden, there was a loud thud before Gabriella's squeal ran around the house. Rosie, Reva, Selena and Leilani looked at each other, all with amused expressions. Emil came down the steps. "Okay, I just saw my brother and his girlfriend naked with each other in the shower. I'm seriously scarred."

Rosie got up and walked to the end of the steps. "You guys better be getting ready up there!"

"Sorry!" Gabriella yelled before laughing with Troy.

...

"Troy, no!" Gabriella squealed. "I have to get ready. Rosie will cut me up into little pieces if we miss this flight."

"We can get ready together," he compromised, pushing them into the bathroom. He grinned and pushed his lips to hers. Gabriella gave into him and ran her hand through his hair. She arched her body into him and smiled. "But seriously, if you're showering with me come on."

Troy detached his lips form hers and turned to the shower. He turned on the tap and the water slowly fled out of the shower head. Gabriella watched as he took off his shirt and boxers, flinging to some part of the bathroom. "Checking me out?" he said. Gabriella smirked. He didn't even turn around. She stripped out of all her clothes before they climbed into the walk-in shower. "We're just showering," Gabriella told him sternly. She turned around to him and smiled. "Checking me out?" she mimicked.

"Like I can help it," Troy snorted. He grabbed a mesh bath sponge and squirted some body wash onto it. He slowly rubbed it around Gabriella's body, loving how she pressed herself against him and let out a silent moan. Troy wet the sponge before going back to rubbing it down her body. "This is so turning me on right now," Gabriella said, her eyes closing as bliss poured down over her body along with the warm water.

Troy grinned and pressed his lips to hers. He backed her against the wall, placing both his hands on either side of her face, caging her in. "So?" Troy mumbled against her lips. Gabriella threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged a bit. "So do something about it," she murmured before pushing her lips hard to his again.

…

"Cassandra!" Sammy exclaimed, hugging Cassandra. Yup, Cassandra was invited on the trip along with Sharpay. Go figure, right? Taylor was invited, but her parents said no. Since Taylor wasn't going, Chad had passed, Ryan and Kelsi had to still write music for the play and the Twins were still in LA. So the only person left was Sharpay.

Cassandra pulled back from Sammy's grasp and gently touched her hair, making sure it wasn't messed up. When she was sure, she turned to Sammy and smiled. "I can't wait to get to Miami," she said. "I'm so excited."

"I know," Sammy exclaimed. "We're going all the way to Spain."

Maxine laughed and grabbed both their hands as they walked into the plane. "Miami's not in Spain, Sammy. It's in Florida."

"Florida? But that's a country. It can't be in Florida." Cassandra leaned closer to Maxine. She cupped her hand around her mouth making sure Sammy couldn't hear. "He's lucky he's cute." Maxine covered her mouth as she went into a fit of giggles. She already loved Cassandra.

"I'll sit with the little kids," Rosie said. She ushered Cassandra and Sammy into the seat before sitting on the end. Maxine went to sit next to Selena and Sharpay while Leilani parked next to Reva and Emil, much to her calamity. Gabriella and Troy settled in their own seats, the lucky ones. "Is this a time to join the Mile High Club?" Troy whispered to Gabriella. Gabriella giggled and squeezed his thigh. "Hell no! I am so not having sex on a plane. Do you know how un-romantic that is?" She whispered the last two sentences, not wanting anyone to hear. "But feel free to join yourself."

"Okay," Troy said easily. He looked around and grabbed his jacket. Gabriella watched him, an amazed look on her face as he dug his hand under his pants. "Troy," Gabriella hissed. She casted a look around her before yanking his hand out of his pants. "You are seriously a nymphomaniac."

"I am offended," Troy said jokingly. Gabriella rolled her eyes and pecked his lips. "Just hold tight. The flight is only eight hours." Troy nodded and Gabriella smiled. She leaned her head against his shoulder and snuggled into him.

…

"Brie…"

Gabriella stirred and gripped tighter onto Troy. Troy smiled. "Brie…wake up."

"Hmmm," she sighed and lifted her head off his shoulder. She stared in his eyes for a moment, smiled and then closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Troy laughed silently. He turned to the flight attendant who had asked him a second ago if he wanted anything. "Can I have two bags of peanuts?"

She smiled and handed him over the bags. "Enjoy the rest of your flight."

He nodded. "Thank you." She walked down the aisle and Troy looked back down at Gabriella. It was now night time and the plane was supposed to land in Miami in about thirty minutes or so. Since it was one hour later here in Florida, it was now seven instead of six. "Stop looking at me," he heard Gabriela say in a tired mumble. Troy chuckled and Gabriella lifted her head off his shoulder.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty."

Gabriella pressed her lips to his. "Morning. Wait." She looked out the window. "It's night time?" Gabriella turn back around to Troy and stretched her muscles. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly eight o'clock," Troy answered. "Seven forty-one."

Gabriella looked around herself. Rosie was lost in her book while Sammy and Cassandra were curled together, sleeping. Emil and Reva were both sleeping and Leilani was too. Maxine, Selena and Sharpay were talking silently. And the other people around them were sleeping. Gabriella looked back at Troy and grinned. "The lights are off," she whispered. "Now we will _not _have sex, but I could settle for something light." Gabriella smiled and reached for a blanket. She made sure it covered their lower halves before she unzipped his zipper and grasped his member. Troy jerked in her hand and Gabriella smiled. She pressed a kiss to his lips so he wouldn't make any noise.

"Brie," Troy whispered, detaching their lips.

"Shh," Gabriella said. She gently squeezed him and then pumped at his hardened member. She could feel it beating beneath her grasp as the blood filled him up. "Fucking hell," Troy whispered, sweat now building up on his forehead. Gabriella kissed him again before moving her hand faster. Troy threw his head back, his body shaking with unspeakable pleasure as the rumble through his body finally stopped at his stomach, ready for release. Gabriella grabbed his face with her other hand and kissed him hard, swallowing his moan as he came.

She could feel the sticky, warm substance trail down her hand and she bit her lip, grinning up at him. "That was hot," she said and wiped her fingers along the blanket. Troy nodded. He was out of breath and flustered. "Wanna do more?" he whispered.

Gabriella looked around herself again. Everyone still seemed to be in the same spot as before. She looked back at Troy and nodded. "Yeah…but quick."

Troy zipped up his pants while Gabriella unzipped her shorts. She sunk low in the seat and covered herself more, not wanting anyone to see what they were up to. Troy gave her a sultry smile before easing his hand into her underwear and instantly pushing his finger into her. Gabriella's back arched and her mouth opened in a silent moan. Troy pressed his lips to hers, making sure sh didn't her any loud noises that could get them caught.

"Troy," Gabriella whimpered softly. Troy picked up his pace as he thrusted his finger in and out of her. He added another digit and Gabriella pressed her knees together, afraid that she would thrash her legs around. "God," she whispered breathlessly, sinking even more in the seat. She squeezed around his fingers and Troy swallowed deeply. Her hips rocked in rhythm with his fingers and then she finally came. Her eyes closed tightly shut and she grasped the sides of the seat to the point where her finger started to burn.

"Mmm," she moaned softly, giving his fingers a few more thrust before limply lying still in the seat. Troy removed his fingers from her and licked his fingers, smiling when Gabriella watched him. "Love you," she whispered.

Troy grinned and pressed his lips to hers. "Love you more," he whispered. They snuggled together as the plane slowly made its way to Miami.

…

"Are you kidding me?" Maxine squeaked. "You guys seriously did that right in front of me? My god, what if someone caught you guys?"

"What's with the 'what if's'?" Gabriella said. They had finally settled in at The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Key Biscayne, Miami. Everyone was spilt up. Rosie had gone with the little kids, the Trip had stuck together, Troy and Emil were together and Sharpay, Maxine and Leilani shared. Rosie had told Gabriella and Reva that there would be sharing between them or sneaking into rooms late at night, much to their dismay.

So now they were unpacking and lying around since it was night time.

"Because you could've gotten caught," Reva said. "Rosie would be so pissed if she found out."

"But did she?" Gabriella asked, smiling. She unzipped her suitcase and started pulling out her clothes. "Nope, she didn't. Besides…everyone knew that you and Emil were hand searching."

"Not like you two," Reva said. "I mean, we kissed and he, you know, touched me some places but I didn't…we didn't…you're such a nymphomaniac, Gabs."

"I am not!" Gabriella declined. "Troy suggested it."

"And you agreed to it," Maxine pointed out.

"Whatever," Gabriella said, waving her hand in the air as if she were trying to rid a fly from flying in her face. "I'm going to sleep. Rosie's waking everyone up early. Five AM."

"Shit, as if I would get up," Leilani said. "I am so not a morning person."

"She's not," Maxine agreed. "Seriously, she almost ripped my hair off when I tried to wake her at a sleepover a year ago."

"That was _not _my fault," Leilani said. "To be fair I thought you were Emil's little friends trying to look in my shirt."

"With long hair?"

"That boy Logan has hair that was like to his waist," Leilani said. Maxine rolled her eyes and plopped down on the master bed. "Who's getting the master?"

"The oldest," Gabriella said. She looked at her sisters, daring them to deny. "I'm seventeen, too," Selena said.

"But are you older than me?" Gabriella smiled and cocked her head to the side. "Didn't think so."

"Whatever. Look, I'm crashing, too. If Rosie rings her cowbell in my ear again, I swear to God I will shove it down her a—"

"Girls." Rosie leaned into the room, a small smile tugging at her lips. "time for bed. And Selena, don't be dissing on my cowbell, you hear?" Rosie smiled at her before leaving. Selena looked at the girls, her eyes wide. "How old is she again?" They all laughed before Leilani, Maxine, and Sharpay filed out of the Trio's room and to their own.

Reva sighed and sunk into her bed. "How do you bury a castle?"

"Huh?" Selena pulled the covers over her body and turned on her side. She rested her head on her hand. "What?"

"You grab your shovel and dig a deep hole," Gabriella said, grinning. "Brick By Boring Brick. Now go to sleep."

Selena turned onto her back, her eyebrows creasing in confusion. "I don't get it." Gabriella turned off the light in their room before going back into hers. "Go to sleep," she repeated.

…

"Pebble."

"Ocean."

"Troy."

"Hot."

Gabriella smirked. "Conceited."

"Hot."

Gabriella sat up in her bed, giggling quietly. "You can't say a word twice! That's cheating."

"Fine, sexy."

"No, no, it's too late. I win. Let's play again."

"But Brie," Troy whined into the phone. "you beat me like five times."

"Troy," Gabriella said, a look of amusement crossing her face. "We've only played twice." She heard Troy chuckled softly. There was a loud thud on the other end after and Troy's laugh coming in third. "What?" Gabriella said, concerned. "Are you hurt? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Ow…" she heard Emil groaned.

"Emil fell off his bed," Troy laughed. Gabriella let out her own little laugh, cautions of her sisters sleeping next door. "How?"

"Troy David Alexander Bolton, you better not tell her!" Emil yelled.

"Apparently, he was having a wet dream about your sister and—" There was a sound of glass breaking before Troy laughed again. "That is definitely not a way to gain back your pride, my brother," Troy said. Then he explained for Gabriella. "He tripped over his shirt and hit a table. A lamp fell."

"Ah," Gabriella said, giggling. "Is he alright?"

"Sure, sure, just a bit offended that my brother's girlfriend cares more about me that he does!" Emil yelled. "Stop sitting there and help me up!"

"I'm good," Troy said. Gabriella laughed. "Troy, get your lazy butt up and help your brother. I'll see you in the morning. Seriously, it's one in the morning and Rosie is waking us up at five."

"No," Troy whined.

"Yes," Gabriella said, mimicking his whine. She giggled merrily. "I'll talk to you later, Wildcat. Please?"

"Okay, fine," Troy said, sighing. "But you owe me."

"Sure I do."

"Okay. Love you."

"Mmm," Gabriella hummed softly. She fingered the hem of Troy's cotton shirt she had stolen from his bag when they arrived. "Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye."

Gabriella ended the call and laid back down on her bed. She let out a low squeal of excitement and grinned up at the ceiling. She still couldn't believe this even after months. She had finally found her Prince Charming. It was so surreal. Like a movie. God forbid this was just a movie or dream. Because if it were, it was a very, _very_ long movie or dream.

Gabriella let her grin go to just a smile. She turned over and stared out the window at the full moon light as it illuminated the room. All if a sudden a wave of sadness fell over her and her smile turned sad. Her and her dad would go outside at midnight and stare up at the full moon and the constellations. She could almost see her dad grinning at her and telling her crazy myths that were about the moon.

Gabriella smiled and turned back on her back, looking up at the ceiling. Sometime between thinking about just normal stuff and just crazy stuff she fell asleep.

…

"Rosie!" Selena groaned, covering her ears. Rosie smiled and rung her cowbell again, marveling the way Reva and Selena squirmed. "Turn it off!" Reva yelled.

"Get up," Rosie said. Selena rolled out of bed and fell to the floor with a loud thud. She crawled under her bed and sighed. Well, she was up. "What I say?" Gabriella said, smiling as she walked into their room. "Now Rosie, why don't you go wake Leilani up?"

"Yeah," Selena agreed, shimming out from under the bed. "Let's see what she does to that bell."

"She'll probably rip it up into shreds," Reva said, sitting up and sliding out of bed. "And then throw it at the wall."

"We'll see about that," Rosie said. "Get ready. You have two bathrooms." Then she left.

"Reva is last," Gabriella decided.

"Why?"

Gabriella smiled and shrugged. "You're the youngest. Hey, maybe you can record Rosie's death sentence."

Reva grinned and picked up her phone from the bedside table. She walked out of the room and into the hallway. Rosie was pushing the little card into the door and Reva slipped in after her. "She snores like a bear," Sharpay complained when she spotted them. "Seriously, is she a boy?"

"Sure acts like it," Reva said. She and Rosie advanced on into Maxine's and Leilani's room. Maxine was draped over her bed, her sheets jumbled and entwined with her legs and lower body. And Leilani was for sure snoring. Rosie smiled and lifted her cowbell. He dangled it and Maxine sat up with a start, her eyes bulging wide. "What the fuck?"

"Maxine, that's the first time you've said the f word!" Reva exclaimed. "Good for you!" Maxine threw her a look before falling back on her bed and into a short coma. Leilani groaned and her eyes opened meekly. "Shut the fucking thing off before I fucking shove it down someone's fucking throat," she grumbled.

"Good morning to you, too," Rosie mumbled, but continued to shake the cowbell. Maxine finally sat up. She looked at Leilani amused. Leilani sat up. She turned gray eyes on Rosie. "What the fuck did I say?"

"And what did I say?" Rosie countered. "Get up."

"It is five in the morning!" Sam exclaimed as he marched into the room. "I didn't even know that time existed!"

Rosie threw a warning look at Leilani. She groaned loudly and trudged off the bed. "Someday I won't be able to control myself and will throw someone out the window," she growled lividly. No seriously, she actually growled.

Sam backed up behind Rosie. "She's talking about you, isn't she?"

"Get up," Rosie demanded before walking out of the room.

…

"So what was that thing about how do you bury a castle?" Selena asked Gabriella and Reva. They had just had breakfast at the hotel and were on their way to South Miami Beach in the rented van. "Paramore's song Brick By Boring Brick," Gabriella answered. "It's like, only the best song ever."

"Mmm, I smell funnel cake," Sammy moaned.

"We're hardly near the beach or park yet," Maxine pointed out. "We just got on the road."

"I have really good senses," Sammy said. "Just like Yo—where's Yoda?" Sammy patted his lap. "Where is he?"

"Oh, jeez," Reva groaned. She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled her legs up to her chest tightly. Rosie looked in the rearview mirror at Sammy. "Find him, Sam. If I see him, I'll most likely jump and get us into a car crash."

"You can't!" Sharpay and Cassandra screeched at the same time. Sharpay touched her clothes while Cassandra touched her hair. "My hair will totally get ruined," Cassandra whined.

"And my thousand dollar clothes will be ruined, too," Sharpay added.

"That was oddly weird, yet oddly hot," Sammy said, grinning.

"Seriously, Sam. Find him," Rosie demanded. "If I get into a crash in a state that I don't live in, that could cause some major problems."

Sammy sighed and crouched down under the seat. "Yoda!" Sammy screamed as the car jerked to the left, jolting everyone around in the car. Rosie stomped on the brake as everyone's panicked screams filled the car. Yoda was on the steering wheel, creeping to Rosie's hands.

The car jerked to a stop, nearly crashing into another one. Rosie sighed. "Is everyone fine?" Sammy reached for Yoda and cupped him in his hands. He looked at Rosie with sorry eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."

"I was startled," Rosie said. She backed the car up and started riving slowly down the road. "That is so funny," Gabriella mumbled. "I almost got into a crash because of a bug. But Reva was the one who was startled."

"You almost got into a crash?" Rosie questioned. "When exactly were you planning to tell me?"

Gabriella shrugged. "When I forgot?" Rosie shook her head and sighed. Maxine clicked on the radio and smiled when Kelly Rowland and Lil. Wayne's _Motivation_ blared loudly around the car. "I just wanna feel your hands all over me, baby," Reva sung with a smug look. "But you can't stop there. The music's still playing in the background."

Rosie turned to another station and shook her head. "Two little kids in the car."

"Who?" Cassandra said. She looked at Emil. "The boney one?"

"No, you," Emil said. "Jeez, this girl has been throwing criticism my way all morning."

"You do look like a kid…" Leilani said, trailing off.

"Anyway," Rosie said. "That song is so inappropriate."

Reva shrugged. "So what? It's about sex. Every song lately is about sex."

"No, that song _is_ sex," Selena corrected her.

"Stop talking about sex," Rosie demanded. "Jeez. We're almost there. Just sit still for a bit."

"Rosie, when has your demanding side come out?"

"Since I've finally come into reality about having six kids plus three around me all the time."

* * *

><p>Enjoy it? (: I have chapter 2r done and ready. I'll put it out and make sure you review, please!<p>

Thanks!-Brittany


	27. Stalker By Boring Stalker

**Chapter 27**

**Stalker By Boring Stalker**

**Enjoy. Again, I own nothing (: **

The day was nice. The sun was up above the horizon, making a beautiful glow of complimentary colors glow around the beach. The waters were low, rising into waves every once in a while. People ran around the park laughing and talking amongst themselves. And some people like Rosie were sat in a chair, relaxing.

Rosie couldn't remember the last time she could just sit back and relax.

Well, that was until she saw Gabriella and Troy and another guy. Troy looked like he was about to rip the guys head off.

Oh, boy.

…

"Look, I'm making a sand castle," Cassandra said to Sammy. She had stripped down into a ruffle little bikini and Sammy couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Just wait until he's in high school and knows what boobs are…

Like in New Mexico the teenagers went their own ways. Maxine, Sharpay, Selena and Leilani went out to find some cute boys to play with and Reva, Emil, Troy and Gabriella all relaxed in each others arms in a secluded part of the beach.

Gabriella sighed and snuggled deeper into Troy's arms. "I never wanna go away," she moaned.

"Keep your sexually activities to a down low, please," Reva said.

"I will if you will." Gabriella sat up and stared at them. Reva was nestled into Emil's arms as they lay on the beach chair. Reva looked at her. "Actually…if you must know, Emil and I aren't having sex."

"Huh?" Wow, okay, that was a shocker.

"I'm not ready," Reva said. "Thought I was, but I'm not."

"Don't rush things," Gabriella pleaded.

"Like we did?" Troy quipped. Gabriella glared up at him. "Shut it, buddy." Troy laughed. He squeezed her tight to him. "Wanna go back to the hotel?"

"Can we do stuff other than have sex?" Gabriella asked. Troy smiled. "Who said anything about sex? I want to talk and watch a movie with some popcorn."

Gabriella looked up at him, a smile on her face. "Really? Um, okay." She looked over at Reva and Emil. They were smiling at each other like goons. "Guys? We're heading to the hotel. And no, we're not doing what you think we're gonna do." After getting a weak reply from them, Troy and Gabriella got up and walked to the hotel. Personally, Troy wanted to just ravish Gabriella right then and there, but he has found the pattern in their relationship. It's always just sex. Well, it's sex a lot, at least. Honestly, when had they had a normal moment in bed without keeping their hands to themselves? Troy tried to think back, but found no memory.

So when they entered Gabriella's room they honestly did nothing but watch a movie. Troy ordered them lunch from room service.

Gabriella smiled and leaned back against Troy's chest. She eyed the last piece of pizza. Yup, who knew a five star hotel would sell some regular cheese pizza? "I so wanna eat it, but I don't want to move. I'm afraid I'll explode if I do."

Troy chuckled. He picked the last one up and held it towards Gabriella's mouth. Gabriella opened her mouth and took a bite. "Mmm," she moaned. "So good."

"Does it taste better than me?" Troy asked, taking his own bite. Gabriella shook her head and grinned. She reached up and took the pizza from him. "Not even close," she whispered. Troy smiled and watched as she finished the pizza. That's what he liked about Gabriella. She had just eaten five pieces of pizza while he only ate three. He loved a girl with a nice appetite and didn't skip meals. Of course he knew that about her already, but he couldn't stop thinking about how many flawless features she has. "I love you," Troy whispered huskily, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

"I love you too," Gabriella said. They had now drowned out the movie. Was it Scary Movie three or four?

Troy craned his neck and kissed her lips. Gabriella tilted her head and twisted it so their lips could meet properly. She smiled and rested her hands on his chest as his arm snaked around her waist. She loved his kisses. She wouldn't care if he would drown her with his kisses and she died in his arms with his lips over hers.

Troy detached their lips and started lovingly at her. "I love you," he whispered again. Gabriella had to giggle. "Ditto," she said. "Where had that come from?"

"Ditto?" Troy questioned, ignoring her question. "So I get no 'I love you' back?" Gabriella rolled her lips together and shook her head. Troy quirked an eyebrow and turned his head away, feigning sadness. "I'm offended, Brie."

"Oh, boohoo," Gabriella teased. She reached up and traced his cheekbones with her knuckles. She loved the way his jaw flexed (in a non-angry way) under her touch. "I need a new nick name for you," she suddenly decided. Troy turned to her and smiled. "How about Sexy?"

"Once again, I must point out how haughty you are."

"That rhymes with naughty," Troy said. "How about Naughty Haughty?" He grinned. "Or Naughty Hottie. It sounds the same."

"You are so stupid, Wildcat. How about Superstar? You're a superstar in my world and in the world of East Hugh."

Troy smiled cutely and nudged his nose with hers. Gabriella giggled. "I like it," Troy decided. "But can you still call me Wildcat?"

"I wasn't going to stop," Gabriella pointed out. She smiled and looked at the TV. It was a 52" plasma. "How do you bury a castle?" Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Troy just looked at her with a bemused expression. "How do you bury a castle?"

"I believe I asked you first, Superstar," Gabriella said. She turned around and straddled his lap. Her arms wounded around his neck loosely and she looked into his narrow blue eyes. "How do you bury a castle?" Gabriella repeated her voice soft and smooth.

"Is this a trick question?" Troy said, his voice becoming softer as well. Gabriella shook her head and bit her lip as she tried to suppress a grin waiting to bloom onto her face. "Nope. Now answer the damn question."

"Someone's feisty," Troy teased. Gabriella pressed a chaste kiss to his lip and then gave him an expected look. "Are you gonna answer or am I gonna have to kiss it out of you?"

"I'll take the latter," Troy decided. He moved his head to kiss her, but Gabriella placed her hand over his mouth, smiling seductively at him. "No," she said. She removed her hand. "Answer me first." Troy looked at her for a moment. Then he chuckled and shrugged. "I don't know. Take it apart and throw it into a hole?"

"Dig a deep hole," Gabriella said. "It's a song by Paramore. Brick By Boring Brick. I can't get it out of my head." Troy smiled. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. Gabriella gasped as she felt something poking at her thigh. "No," she said austerely, looking into his eyes. "No sex."

"No sex," Troy agreed. "Put on another movie. I'm going to take a cold shower for my…problem." Gabriella giggled and Troy lifted her off of him. He sat her down on the bed before he dashed to the bathroom.

"Let's see…" Gabriella got off the bed and walked to Reva's movie selection. She smiled when she saw Elmo In Grouch Land. "My guilty pleasure movie," she said to no one. She took it out of the case and stuck it into the DVD player. She was about to sit down and press play when something caught her eye.

Gabriella slowly stood and walked towards the balcony. She gasped when she saw a figure by the railing. It was obviously a guy. And he was staring right at her.

Gabriella backed away as the guy stepped out of the shadows. She could see him clearly. He had cloudy blue eyes (not even close to Troy's bouncy bright ones) and dark disheveled hair. Bags circled his eyes and his skin was pale. Like a very unattractive albino pale. He started reached for the door handle to the balcony and that's when Gabriella let out a sound of bloody murder. The guy banged on the door hard before dashing to the railing. "Troy!" Gabriella screamed. The guy was over the railing and gone by the time Troy came to her. He had wrapped himself up in a robe that was too small for him. "What's wrong, Brie?" he asked gently. Gabriella spun around to him and grabbed his hand. "There was a guy," she said shakily. "He was on the balcony. I don't know how he climbed up. I mean, we're like over two-hundred feet up. Maybe he lives a floor under us or something, but he looked like he was about to come in the room."

Troy walked over to the balcony doors. He looked out, his eyes narrowing. When he was sure there was no one, he closed the curtains and turned around to Gabriella. "Well, he's gone now. Call me if you see something again. And don't open or go near those doors," Troy demanded. Gabriella would have yelled at him for telling her what to do in such a severe tone, but does that really matter now?

Troy was about to walk back into the bathroom when he saw the TV screen. He cracked a smile and looked at Gabriella. "Elmo? Seriously, Brie?"

Gabriella smiled and shrugged. "What? Elmo In Grouch Land is the best movie known."

"This is why I love you," Troy said, kissing her quickly before disappearing into the bathroom again. Gabriella grinned and plopped down onto her stomach as the movie began to play. She couldn't keep the grin off her face, but also the nervous flips that were currently being played in her stomach weren't going anywhere soon either. What if she had been naked? What if he had come last night, too and peeked at her sisters as well? What if he was a crazy stalker? God, this was one of the disadvantages of being famous. Some fans will do anything, absolutely _anything _to see you.

Gabriella took another glance at the covered balcony doors again and shivers involuntarily ran up her spine and swirled around her body. God, she felt as if she were in a stupid horror movie.

…

Gabriella didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she had and she had in Troy's arms on top of him. Gabriella sighed contently and stretched her muscles out. "Mm," she heard Troy grunt. Gabriella giggled and looked down at him. She loved how his mouth moved as if he were saying something, but nothing came out of his mouth. Others might think it's weird, but she couldn't help but think it was cute.

Gabriella carefully peeled Troy's arm off her body and got up. She glanced at the clock. It was three thirty. She was probably out for three hours at the most. Just as Gabriella was about to walk into the bathroom she noticed something. She looked at the balcony doors. The curtains were drawn open. Has Troy opened them? He couldn't have. He had told her not to. Why would he?

Gabriella shook her head and sighed. Before she walked into the bathroom to wash she went to her suitcase for the clothes she didn't unpack.

But they weren't in the suitcase.

"Troy," Gabriella said. She looked up at him as he stirred. "Hm?" he groaned. Gabriella walked to the dresser and pulled open the drawers. Only the clothes she had unpacked were in the drawers. Not the ones she didn't unpack. "Troy," she said again.

"What?" he said tiredly.

Gabriella started searching under stuff. "Where are my clothes?"

"Hm? Don't know."

"They were…they were in my suitcase," Gabriella said. "Just last night. Where are they?" When Troy didn't say anything, Gabriella whirled around. She picked up the closet thing to her which was a book and hurled it at him. "Troy, seriously, wake up."

Troy groaned. He sat up and looked at Gabriella. "Okay, I'm up. Now what?"

"My clothes! Half of them are gone."

Troy yawned. "Did Reva or Selena or Rosie come in?"

Gabriella picked up her phone and quickly called Rosie's number_. "Hello?"_ Rosie said as she picked up. Gabriella sighed. "Hey. Did you or anyone come to my room and do something with my clothes or something?" Gabriella leaned into Troy as he came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"_Um, no. Why?" _

"I—me and Troy went to sleep a while ago and I woke up. Half my clothes were gone from my suitcase."

"_What?" _

"I know. Look, we're coming down to the beach now."

"_Okay, we're at the park. Um, by the Ferris wheel." _

Gabriella nodded. "Okay. See you in five minutes." Gabriella ended the call and moved gently out of Troy's grasp.

"Hey, I thought I told you to keep these closed."

Gabriella turned around. Troy was closing the curtains. Gabriella's breath got stuck in her throat. "Huh? I didn't open them, though."

"Did house keeping do it?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. "No. Reva and Selena's beds are still messy." And then the worse came to her. What if it was that guy on the balcony? What if he broke in and took some of her stuff? Oh God, Gabriella thought. "Come on," Gabriella said, dragging Troy out of the room.

While they drove to the beach she couldn't help but think about the mystery man. He was so…creepy. How he looked in the balcony was scary. Imagine him just standing over her, looking down at her while she slept. Gabriella felt shivers attacked her spine. She hated feeling insecure and unsafe. She remembered once when she was fourteen when her mom had to send a restraining order to this guy who was always sneaking around on their property. He had even once snuck into the house and cut ringlets of hair off of her mom's head. She had a bald spot in the back of her head the next morning.

"That guy I saw in the balcony," Gabriella said slowly. "Do you think he snuck in and took my clothes?"

"What did he look like?" Troy questioned, ignoring her question. Was he going to start doing that often? She totally doesn't recommend it. "Well, he had dull blue eyes and black hair," Gabriella answered. "And pale skin and bags under his eyes. I didn't really look at his clothes."

Troy nodded and pulled up at the beach parking lot. They hoped out of the car and started for the beach that leads to the park. "I don't want a stalker," Gabriella whispered. "What if he comes in and tries t do something to me?"

"I'm here and ready to kill if someone touches you," Troy snarled. Gabriella jumped at his tone. "Especially if—" Troy was stopped as a ball was hurled their way. Gabriella fell to the ground as she felt the hot blow to her head. "Ouch," she groaned. Troy knelt by her and helped her up. "Damn, you okay?"

Gabriella nodded and sighed. People were looking their way, their eyes popping as they recognized Gabriella Montez. "Yo, dude, pass me my ball," a menacing voice said. The two turned around and there stood a man. He had cloudy blue eyes that created a storm and shaded hair.

…

Rosie smiled as Sammy ran up to her again, holding up another shell. "Thank you, babes," she said. "I will have a nice collection of shells when the day ends."

"So will I," Cassandra said, leaning back in her smaller chair. She smiled and placed her floppy hat on her head. "I'll have my brother make it into a necklace."

Rosie chuckled and pulled her sunglasses on.

The day was nice. The sun was up above the horizon, making a beautiful glow of complimentary colors glow around everyone. The waters at the beach were low, rising into waves every once in a while. People ran around the park laughing and talking amongst themselves. And some people like Rosie were sat in a chair, relaxing.

Rosie couldn't remember the last time she could just sit back and relax.

Well, that was until she saw Gabriella and Troy and another guy. Troy looked like he was about to rip the guys head off.

Oh, boy.

Rosie hastily stood and made her way over to them. She took a sharp in take of breath as Troy's fist collided with the mystery man. "Troy," Gabriella said softly. She grabbed his bicep and started pulling him backwards. People now had their cameras out, video tapping and taking pictures of everything. Gabriella gave Troy's arm another tug before he finally gave into her and let her drag him away. "You're a moron, Troy Bolton and sometimes you infuriate me," Gabriella said, turning to him.

Troy narrowed his eyes. "That guy was the guy who was on your balcony. That guy just admitted he broke into your room and took your clothes. That guy just admitted he was going to rape you. That guy just admitted his death sentence."

"That doesn't even make any sense," Gabriella said. She sighed and grasped his shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry. You're trying to protect me, so I'm saying thank you. But don't start fights. That will not only hurt him, but you, too. And I like you uninjured."

"He said he would rape you," Troy repeated. "Let me just—" Gabriella pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him. She giggled. "No. He will not rape me. If we see him again and he tries something we'll get the police in this. But he can't be convicted of harassment or stalking or raping until he's actually done those things. Which he hasn't done. I mean, he did admit to breaking in and entering, but we have no proof. Now let's just go back to the hotel, forget about the bad in this day and make hot, yet sweet love in my room."

Troy stood there for a moment. His jaw was clenched with anger and his hands were curled tightly into fists. But he sighed after a while and nodded. "Okay, fine." He grinned. "I kind of like the making love part."

Gabriella smiled. 'Thought you would. Now come on before people are gonna push cameras in our faces and throwing questions our way." Gabriella practically dragged him to the car.


	28. If I Die Young

**Glamorous**

**There's a poll on my profile! Please check it out! **

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! **

**Chapter 28**

**If I Die Young  
><strong>

_"If I die young, bury me in satin_  
><em> Lay me down on a, bed of roses<em>  
><em> Sink me in the river, at dawn<em>  
><em> Send me away with the words of a love song"<em>

_If I Die Young- The Band Perry  
><em>

"Today I don't feel like doing anything," Gabriella sung softly to herself. She pulled at the scrunchy holding her hair together and smiled in the mirror. Her hair fell to her back just a few inches beneath her shoulders. She jumped as she heard a masculine voice. "I just wanna lay in my bed." She twisted her head and smiled. Troy sat on the bed on his stomach with his limbs taking practically the whole bed up. He had a sheepish tugging at his lips as his piercing blue eyes stared at her.

"Morning," she said and stood. Troy sat up also and Gabriella motioned to his shirt. He threw it to her and Gabriella pulled it on before falling into his lap. "Actually, it's nighttime."

"It is?" Troy turned his head slightly to see outside of the window. The night sky was black with stars jetting through the sky. He chuckled before looking back at Gabriella who had a dazed look on her face. "I wonder what everyone else is doing."

"They're probably eating dinner," Gabriella guessed. She kissed his cheek before getting off his lap and looking for her underwear. Just as she said that too her stomach growled loudly. Troy chuckled lightly while Gabriella blushed. When she found her underwear hung over the bookcase she pulled them on.

Troy pulled on his boxers and fished out his cell. He dialed Emil's number before bringing the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Yo, dude, we're still at the park. We decided to wait a while when you and Gabriella left."

Troy nodded and caught the shorts Gabriella threw his way. He positioned the phone in between his shoulder and ear so he could use both hands. "What happened to that guy?"

"Gabriella's stalker? Ha, you should've seen Leilani and Reva bitchin' at him. I think they almost set his hair on fire."

"It looks bad enough," Troy commented. He peeled the shirt off of Gabriella and pulled it over his head. Gabriella pouted at him, but didn't say anything. "Are we still meeting up at the restaurant down stairs?"

"Yep. See you there, bro."

"Okay." Troy ended the call and pushed his phone in his pocket. Gabriella clasped her bra around her chest and pulled her shirt on. "Miami isn't what I expected it to be so far," she said softly. Troy pulled her in for a bear hug. Gabriella attempted to laugh, but it came out as a breathy wheeze. "Troy, my God, you're crushing me!"

"That's because I love you," Troy said, hugging her closer.

Gabriella tugged at his shirt before she pushed at his arms, faltering his grasp a bit. "Troy!" she squeaked. Troy picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He exited the room and Gabriella squeezed his shoulder, digging her nails into them on purpose. "That didn't hurt," Troy informed her. "Though it was a huge turn on."

"Ugh, Troy David Alexander Bolton, if you don't let me go I will hurt you," Gabriella threatened, trying to sound superior. But Troy only snorted and gave her butt a nice, firm slap. Gabriella shrieked in response. "Troy, I'm not playing," Gabriella said. 'Put me down before someone sees."

"Like I care," Troy said. But he put her down. Gabriella was about to turn and walk away, when Troy grabbed the belt loops to her shorts and stopped her. Gabriella looked back at him confused. "First I want a kiss," Troy said. Gabriella let a sly smile cross her lips. She took his hand and turned around to face him. Troy cupped the back of her head and tilted her head back, letting his lips hover over hers for a second. He leaned down to capture her lips, but Gabriella turned her head letting his lips fall onto her cheek. Gabriella stepped away from his grasp and darted down the hall, laughing when she heard Troy yell her name is frustration. "Gabriella!"

Gabriella barreled down the hall and slipped into the elevator just as it was about to close. She gave Troy an uncanny smile when she saw him at the end of the hall. He started rushing towards the door, but it dinged and closed shut. Gabriella snickered and moved a piece of hair from her eyes.

When the elevator doors finally opened at the lobby she stepped out and made a fast walk out of the hotel. The night engulfed her with open arms, chilling her bare arms and legs. She smiled at people who were staring at her, their eyes wide with amazement. She started down the sidewalk and then felt an insecurity feeling creep over her. Maybe she should've waited for Troy. She knew from being from a city like Los Angele never to walk the streets alone. Especially if you were a helpless girl with no one you knew around you.

Gabriella's skin tingled when she heard the fast footfalls falling into step behind her. She twisted her head and her heart nearly stopped at the shadow slowly walking behind her. She picked up her pace and settled into a slow walk. Each step was a beta of her heart. Shouldn't Troy be here already? She couldn't turn around and see because someone was following her.

Gabriella then went into a sprint down the streets of Miami, not caring if a bystander witnessed her frantic running. She turned into a street after what seemed like an eternity she remember and nearly cried with bliss when she heard and saw the popping lights of the park and the silent ocean of the beach.

She burst into the beach and let out a startled cry when she felt arms envelope her into them. She thrashed in the person's arms, tears threatening to fall. "Let me go!" she cried frantically.

"Hey, hey, Gabriella, calm down." And then Gabriella stopped struggling as his familiar voice let the worry wash away from her but the fury barrel into her. She pushed out of his arms and whirled around to face him, her eyes raging with fire. "Troy!"

He couldn't help but let out a laugh. "My God, Gabriella, you were petrified."

Gabriella hit his chest, meaning for it to hurt, but he only laughed harder. "This isn't funny, Troy!" Gabriella said. "You know, sometimes you can be a real asshole." Troy calmed his laughing He looked at Gabriella, his eyebrows raised with amusement. "Gabriella, it was just a harmless joke. I was just playing."

"Well, it wasn't funny," Gabriella said. "I was scared. I thought you were that stalker guy." Gabriella turned to walk away. Troy's eyebrows rose and he started after her. "Gabriella, come on, I was playing."

"Well it wasn't funny," Gabriella said.

Troy stopped following her. "You know, you don't always have to be so uptight, Gabriella. Come on, take a joke."

Gabriella turned around, her face fired. "I am not uptight! It's just that you're an asshole who doesn't know when to stop. I was near to shitting my pants because I thought you were that creepy guy."

"Well, it's over now," Troy said, not knowing why she was so bothered with this. "It's not even a big deal."

Gabriella shook her head and pressed her lips together. "Whatever, Troy." She started walking away again. Troy let out an exasperated sigh. "Where are you going, Gabriella?"

"Away from you," Gabriella answered. Troy sighed. "Come on. Not by yourself. Let's just go back to the hotel and meet everyone there." But Gabriella kept walking. "Fine, you stay out late at night and get raped," Troy called after her making Gabriella cringe. "Like I care." Troy turned the other way, heading back to the hotel.

Gabriella stopped walking and turned around, staring astounded at Troy's retreating body. So he wasn't going to come after her? What if she were just snatched up? "I know what an asshole."

Gabriella whirled around and gasped as a hand flew to her mouth and an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her backwards.

…

Troy turned his head. Gabriella had already disappeared. She was that mad at him? What did he do? It had started out as a little game and now she's mad at him? Troy debated whether if he should keep going or turn back around. With a soft sigh he took the latter and turned back around, his eyes narrowing as he searched for Gabriella. She couldn't have gotten too far.

Troy walked down the beach, confused. Unless eh had a car, she couldn't have gone far. He had turned around for about twenty seconds.

Troy looked down at the sand, noticing Gabriella's flip flop there. Nerves raked his body and he bent down and picked it up. He stood back straight and looked out, fear bright in his eyes. "Gabriella!" he called, dashing down the beach. It was completely empty. No one was there. No one was a witness and no one was a suspect.

Troy pulled out his phone and immediately called Leilani. "Hey, Troy, where are you guys? We're at the hotel and you guys aren't here."

"Leilani, there's…I can't…I-I…Gabriella she…I think someone kidnapped her." Troy stopped when he spotted a jeep swerving out of the parking lot and down the road. He took off in a run after it; not even hearing Leilani's shrill screaming. "What? Troy, where are you?"

"I'm at the beach," Troy answered. "Lei, I have to go."

"But Troy, wait—" But Troy ended the call and threw his cell in his pocket. He could feel his calves cramping as he chased after the jeep, but he refused to stop.

His eyes jerked down to the licensee plate, memorizing it before putting his concentration back on the vehicle. He jumped on the sidewalk and picked up his pace. He sliced through herd of people, not letting himself waste a breath on saying 'excuse me' or 'sorry'. He just needed to make sure his Brie was safe.

Troy's breath was ragged, his fatigue setting in. God, when was the last time he had a run? Sure, PE had helped him with running but before he set his life to Gabriella and away from basketball he had dropped his daily exercises like his two mile run every morning and two mile run every afternoon. It's been months.

Troy pushed himself deeper, not caring if his lungs were closing in on him and his feet felt like they were getting sawed off his body.

But his body rejected the protest and he fell to the ground, heaving air into his lugs. He looked up, his eyes widening as the car zoomed down the street. Troy stood on feeble legs and started down the road again.

But he couldn't make it.

The car swerved into an intersection setting off horns and curses before disappearing into the night. Troy crumbled to the ground, his cries easing around the streets. Onlookers gave him looks either of sadness, confusion or annoyance. This old lady came up to him, her dull brown eyes looking down at him with sympathy. "What's wrong?" she asked her voice weak and frail. Troy stood and gulped. He looked out at the night, cursing himself for not giving himself away or following Gabriella down the beach. "What's wrong?" the woman asked again. Troy turned his eyes on her and sighed. "I need the police," he whispered, his voice hoarse. The elderly woman looked up at him, her lips parting in shock as he revealed his reason why.

…

"Troy!" Rosie gasped, stumbling into the police station with everyone. Troy's shoulders sagged, not bothering to say anything.

Reva came up to him. "Bolton, where is my sister!"

"How should I know?" Emil said. "That's why I'm here."

Reva turned and gave him a look or fury. "Not you, Emil!"

Troy stood and shook his head. "I don't know what happened to her. I think she was kidnapped."

"But you were with her," Selena said, stepping up. "She couldn't have been." She wouldn't believe it. She couldn't. But Troy nodded. "We kind of had a small fight and she walked away from me. I walked away from her, too, but then turned back around and she was gone." Selena shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. She turned around and walked out of the room. But her hollow cries echoed off the walls and Troy felt his heart crumble, knowing her was the cause.

"She's going to be fine," Reva said, swallowing. "She has to be. Sammy was."

"But Sammy's capture wasn't violent," Maxine reminded her quietly. And that broke everyone. What if Gabriella was kidnapped by a serial killer? Or psycho?

…

Gabriella struggled against the rope. It rubbed her skin raw as she tried to get free, but she was determined. God, why did she overreact? She was so dumb! "It's hemp," a masculine voice hissed. "You won't get out of it. The strongest type of rope ever." She felt a pull on the rope and cried out when he arm bent back more. The guy let out a chuckled and gave the knot another little tug before setting back. He switched on a light and Gabriella immediately let her eyes dart to him. She held her breath, holding back a scream when she recognized the face. "You," she whispered.

The guy nodded. "But You has a name. Hi, my name is Logan. What's yours?" Gabriella adverted her gaze to the floor. She felt sick and the bile rise in her throat. This was surreal…this was what happened in horror movies. Not real life. Was this stalker so obsessed that he would illegally capture her?

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered. He reached his hand out and pressed his thumb to the corner of her mouth. Gabriella jerked away, disgust riding her face. "Don't touch me," she spat." He let out an eerie laugh and dropped his hand. Gabriella tried to wiggle her hands free again, but that only caused more of the raw pain to sting her body. She let out a cry of distress and looked back at Logan. He was looking at her, sucking in her every detail. "What do you want?" Gabriella asked. "Money? I can give it to you."

But he shook his head and leaned forward. "No, no. It's something much greater than money." He reached his hand out again and caressed her cheek. Gabriella tried to move back, but his other hand held her in place. "You," he concluded. Gabriella spit in his face when he moved closer. Logan snickered and moved back into his normal spot again. He wiped at the spit and looked at her. "Don't test me," he warned. "I get really impatient really fast."

"Good to know," Gabriella said dryly. "Please let me go. I'll do anything."

Logan shook his head. "I have everything I need right in front of me. Everything that I love."

"How long are you keeping me?" Gabriella asked, fear evident in her voice. Logan grinned. "You shouldn't worry about that."

Gabriella looked around them. She was cramped in a small space that smelled out mildew and dirt. "Where are we?"

"Under my basement," he answered with an unruly chuckle.

Gabriella felt tears press in her eyes. "Please," she whispered. "If you love me so much, do the right thing and let me go. I promise never to tell anyone."

"I love you, but I can't trust you. Especially since you have Troy Bolton who you tell everything to."

"That's not true," Gabriella denied. But even she could hear the lie in her voice. Logan smiled. "Just sit back," he told her. He leaned forward and framed her face in his hands. Gabriella's eyes went wide when he pressed his lips to hers. She thrashed her head from side to side, trying to break her lips with his. But his hands held her face in place. Gabriella opened her mouth and bit hard on his bottom lip. Logan yelped and yanked back, blood seeping from his lip. Gabriella started wiggling and pulling at the rope. She cried out in pain when the rope ripped her flesh, but her wrist slipped free a bit.

Logan grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "You'll love me soon enough," he said before crashing his lips to hers again. Gabriella thrashed desperately in his arms, but failed to get free this time. He sucked at her lips, nipped and kissed. Gabriella let her tears flow and she tried to press her lips together, but he kept prying them open. "Stop!" she begged. She kicked at his leg and Logan pulled away from her. He pulled out a pocket knife from his pocket and Gabriella cried out in horror. Logan guided eh knife to the rope and cut it, purposely slashing a small cut across her burs from the rope.

Gabriella fell to the floor, her hands feeling like rubber. Her wrist were bruised badly and swollen. Blood was seeping out of the gash he had caused and she could still feel the ripping of her skin. Logan helped her sit up and he fell to the floor beside her. "I would never hurt you," he said. "Because I love you."

"Get away from me," Gabriella ordered, her voice filled with disgust and hatred. She started to move away form him, but Logan grasped her wrist, causing a yelp of pain to stammer out of her lips. He brought her wrist up to his lips and licked at the wound, causing Gabriella to flinch and cringe in disgust. She tried to wrestle her hands free from his, but Logan was much stronger. "God, I love you," he moaned as if her blood gave him immense pleasure. Then Gabriella's face paled. Oh God, what if it did? That would be…Gabriella's eyes closed at the disgusting thought. She didn't want to picture Logan cutting her and sucking her blood. That would be not normal and disgusting.

Gabriella looked around the room frantically. When she spotted the blade sitting by him she wrenched an arm free and yanked it up. Logan was taken aback, but smiled coolly after a second. Gabriella held the blade up, not bluffing. "I'm not playing," she hissed. "I'll kill you."

"You won't," Logan disagreed. Gabriella shook her head and thrusted the weapon forward. Logan moved out of the way and gasped her wrist, painfully twisting them and squeezing. Gabriella screamed as unbearable pain soured through her. She dropped the weapon and looked up at Logan with pleading eyes. Logan let go of her wrist and picked up the blade. He slipped back in his pocket, stood and then left.

Gabriella scooted against the wall and looked down at her wrist. She cringed at how battered they looked before dropping them to her side. She could feel the bile rising and she bent over, puking her guts out as the realization o being kidnapped dawned over her. But as she continued to throw up all the food she had ate that day and the disgust and fear, she just couldn't accept it. Was Sammy this scared? Of course he was. He was six.

Gabriella let sobs come with the puke. What if she never got out of here?

Gabriella let the last of it drop from her mouth before leaning back against the wall. She gripped her stomach and closed her eyes as dizziness crowded her mind. "Please let me get out," she whispered. "I love you, Troy. And I'm sorry."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, yes, this is where the violence and the kind of unrealistic stuff comes into place. Let's see. I had stuff like this in my other stories. LWAM, Bliss, and SLRGGC. I don't know why I want this stuff in my stories. I just put them there. And Gabriella seems to be the victim most of the time. I guess it makes it more exciting? <strong>

**Well, make sure you review! **

**Thanks!-Brittany**


	29. Rescued

**Glamorous **

**Rescued  
><strong>

**Hi, people!** **Thank you for reviewing, for all the people who did. (: U Shuld Read Da Bottom :D  
><strong>

"We can't go back to Albuquerque," Rosie said, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. Today was supposed to be their last day in Miami, but they couldn't leave. But then again, they had to leave. They still had Sharpay and Cassandra and they couldn't ship them off by themselves. "I'll stay and we'll continue looking for Gabriella,' Sharpay said. But Rosie shook her head. "That's really nice of you, Sharpay, but Cassandra can't stay. She has school and I'm sure her parents don't want her to stay here until we find Gabriella."

"Well, we can't leave if that's what you're thinking," Selena said. "I'll seriously glue my feet to the ground until Gabriella gets found."

"Selena, can you stop just for a second?" Rosie sighed as Selena sat back, her lips pursed angrily. "The cops know the license plate. It's not that hard to track down where he is. But it won't take one minutes, either."

"This vacation is the worst ever," Maxine said softly.

"We'll find her," Rosie promised. "But for now, everyone pack your bags and load them into the car. We aren't leaving now, we'll help the police, but we have to go by midnight tonight. Rosie looked to the door as it burst open, Emil and Reva stumbling through. "Guys, the cops think they might know where Gabriella is."

...

"Gabriella, breakfast." Gabriella quickly fled under the chair. The door opened and Logan stepped through, the same raggedy old jeans he had on yesterday still clinging to his legs. Gabriella winced at the pressure she put on her wrist, but she didn't move. The last two days had been horrible. Logan had came in every second he could, trying to speak to her and touch her. He hadn't done anything harmful to her and she was grateful, but she had a hunch that if she kept on rejecting him, he'd get forceful soon. "Gabriella?" Logan placed the bowl of lasagna on a table and looked around the room. Gabriella cowered more under the chair and cursed out loudly when the legs scrapped against the floor. She could seriously feel Logan's' eyes boring into her.

Gabriella sighed and crawled out from under her hiding space. Logan smiled and picked up the bowl of food again. "Are you hungry, Love?' he asked, crouching down next to her. Gabriella jerked back in response and shook her head. She had refused to talk to him at all. "Still getting the silent treatment I see," Logan observed, grinning widely. "Well, that's okay. I'll leave you your food here though. But please, this time, don't throw it at me when enter next time."

"What are you planning to do to me?" Gabriella questioned before he left. Logan turned. "What do you want me to do?"

"Let me go, maybe?" Gabriella suggested. Logan opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of sirens going off stopped him dead. His eyes darkened and he looked at Gabriella. "Do you have a phone?"

"You took my cell," Gabriella said. She stood quickly and started to the door, but Logan yanked her back hard. She landed on the ground, pain sizzling through her. "Ouch," she whispered. Logan sent her a glare. "Stay here." Then he left. Instead of following his wished, Gabriella hopped up and ran out of the room. She dashed up the flight of stairs and then started for the basement door. She pulled on it hurriedly, determined to get out. "Come on," she growled, giving the knob one more tug before in was yanked open.

Gabriella almost cried on in joyous bliss when the sweet, warm air started caressing her skin. She rushed out of the house and started down a path. She could see cop cars lining up around the house, police officers with aiming guns at the house. "Hey!" A police officer lowered his gun when he spotted Gabriella. Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief and started walking to him, when two strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her tight against his hard chest. Gabriella gasped when she felt the cold metal of a knife pressing in her neck. She gulped harshly and closed her eyes, wishing for this to be over.

The officer lifted his gun again and more officers joined him. "Let the girl go and now one will get hurt," the officer who spotted her first barked. Logan shook his head. "No. Put your guns down before I slit her neck and kill her."

"Please God," Gabriella whispered, sweat trickling down her forehead. When the officers made no sign of moving, Logan pressured the knife onto her neck harder, ripping flesh. Gabriella winced in pain as the painful cut formed and blood started to ooze out. This made the officers put their guns down, their eyes steady on the two. Logan smirked triumphantly and lifted the knife away from her neck. Gabriella let out a breath and went to touch the cut gingerly, wincing again as the pain shot at her from different directions.

"Don't do this," Gabriella whispered.

"Shh," Logan said, his voice warning her to shut the hell up. A van rushed up to the scene. Troy, Rosie, Selena and everyone else jumped out of the van. Gabriella's eyes closed when she saw the mortified expression on Troy's face. "Let her go!" Troy demanded, starting to run to them. A officer caught him as Logan pressed the knife back to Gabriella's throat. She could feel her pulse thrumming against the weapon and attempted to swallow, but the saliva wouldn't let go. If she could quickly reach up and snatch the knife away, she could make a run and the police could shoot.

Logan started moving backwards, tilting Gabriella's head up while still pressing the knife to her throat. Gabriella sneaked her hand up to the collar of her shirt and gripped there while taking small steps with Logan. "Keep walking," Logan hissed in her ear. Gabriella made her move. She reached up and grabbed the knife from his hand. She ignored the pain in her neck and instead whirled around, easily getting the knife from his grasp.

Police officers raised their guns again, aiming at Logan. Gabriella darted towards everyone, giving her sisters hugs first. Selena clung to her as if her life depended on it, her tears shedding fast. "I hate you so much," Selena said, but a happy smile was tugging at her lips. Gabriella grinned and pulled back. "I love you, too, sis."

After everyone embraced Gabriella, she turned to Troy and gave him a small hug before stepping away from him and climbing in the van. Troy sighed and he looked down the ground, suddenly finding a bird pecking a worm and trying to scoop it up interesting. "Thank you so much," Rosie said to the officer. he nodded and clicked the hand cuff tight against Logan's wrist. He let out a breath of air, sending Rosie a death glare before plopping into the vehicle.

Rosie climbed in her own vehicle and pulled off, her mind still buzzing confusedly. This was all too surreal. Sammy had been kidnapped first and the Gabriella...her life had now gone from boring to crazy and all too weird. Rosie smiled when she caught Gabriella's eyes in the mirror. But it was all worth it, right?

Questions were thrown at Gabriella from everyone, everyone curious of what had happened...all except Troy. It wasn't like he didn't care, no he _cared_. But he was tense and he knew Gabriella was tense as well as meek with the topic. He decided to lay it off, but he wanted to talk to her later to make sure they were okay, that their relationship was still sturdy enough to last.

It was around nine when they arrived home. Rosie had dropped Sharpay, Maxine, Sammy and Cassandra off at their houses before rolling up to her own suburban house.

"Troy," Gabriella said when they were all inside. Troy looked up and Gabriella motioned for him to follow her up the steps. Troy did and they stepped into her room, closing and locking the door behind them. Gabriella leaned her head against the door, the nerves bubbling and fluttering in her cramped stomach. She swallowed and turned to look at Troy. "Troy..."

"Before you say anything, I want to say that I'm sorry and I'll never fight with you again. It was stupid for me to chase after you and you were scared." Troy sighed. "I'm sorry, Brie."

"Troy," Gabriella said again, a sigh coming softly from her. "Troy, I love you, but..." She trailed off and bit her lip, not knowing what to say. Should she say we need a break? Or should she say they should break up? God, she didn't want either. "Please don't do this, Gabriella," Troy whispered. He sounded vulnerable and Gabriella almost ran into his arms, kissing every inch of his face. But she restrained herself and shook her head. "I'm not breaking up with you. But I need some time to myself, just for a bit."

"So, where does that leave us?" Troy's eyes darkened over to a deep sapphire blue. Gabriella winced at the change of color. "Friends?" she asked, taking a step closer to him. She extended her hand for him to shake. Troy sighed. If that was all she was going to give him as of right now, he'd be an idiot not to take it. Troy grasped her hand and nodded. "Friends." Gabriella smiled and was about to walk off, but Troy's grip tightened. Gabriella looked at him bemusedly. "Do friends hug?" Troy questioned, his eyes dropping back down to their cool shade of blue. Gabriella smiled and nodded. Troy pulled her into a hug, embracing her tightly to his chest. He didn't want to disrespect Gabriella's wishes. He knew she was shaken from her kidnapping and he respected that. He wanted to give her time and space to recover.

Gabriella pulled away from the hug and walked out of the room. Troy sighed and leaned out of the doorway. "Do friends kiss and have sex?" he teased lightly. He didn't have to see her face to know she was smirking. "Don't count on it, Bolton," she said back, walking down the steps and disappearing from his sight.

Troy smirked and leaned against the door jab. Is it possible to fall over the same person once again?

* * *

><p><strong>I know this is really short, but bare with me people! I have a lot of school work already. I know, Devil teachers right! xD Anyway, yes, I know Gabriella's kidnapping was short. Like, two days short, but I didn't know what to do about the state problem. I didn't want them to leave, but I couldn't let them stay, either. So I made up a logical reason why Gabriella was only kidnapped for two days. Well, really it was one and a half, but who's counting? <strong>

**Have you checked out my one-shot? It's called The Sharp Knife of a Short Life and I think I did an okay job on it. It's not that sad, but could you read it please? I only got four reviews ): That sucks. It's like only having four friends on Facebook. Now that would SUCK BALLS right there. Haha, anyway, please check it out. I want a bit more feedback. I'll even take only one more review. I'm kind of fine with only five reviews.**

**I hoped you enjoyed! **

**Thanks!-Brittany**


	30. Because I Loved You

**Glamorous**

**Because You Loved Me **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really means a lot to me. (: Now...enjoy! **

"Good morning, students," Ms. Darbus said, waltzing into the room. "I hope you all had a wonderful break. But we're in school now, so no more acting like hooligans." Ms. Darbus snapped her fingers in front of Reyna's face and Reyna rolled her eyes, hopping from on top of her desk and seating herself in her seat. Ms. Darbus smiled. "Thank you, Reyna. Now, I'm sure you all know that prom is tonight and I'm sure the majority of you are excited..." Ms. Darbus's voice trailed off as Troy sunk in his seat, sighing. He had almost forgotten about prom. Is Gabriella going now that they're just friends?

Troy's thoughts were interrupted by a crumbled up paper landing on his desk. He sat up straight and peered around the room, but everyone seemed to either be paying attention to Darbus or staring off into space, bored. Troy glanced down at the paper. He opened it and was surprised to see Gabriella's fine print on it.

_Is our movie & popcorn still in check? _

Troy grinned and put the paper on the desk. He twisted in his seat and looked back at Gabriella. She caught his eye and her lips twisted up into a slow smile. Troy nodded before turning back around. Okay, it wouldn't be the same if they were just friends, but it will still work. When the bell rung, everyone stood and flee from the room. Gabriella caught up with Troy. "So, that was a 'yes' then?' she questioned.

"Of course," Troy confirmed. "We'll sit down and watch the Notebook and have a dozen boxes of tissues by us with some, fatty, buttery, salty popcorn," Troy listed off. Gabriella grinned. She opened her mouth to speak, but another voice beat her. "Gabriella, I heard about your kidnapping."

Gabriella turned around and crossed her arms. "Oh, hello, Reyna. How are you?"

"I'm fine. But anyway, how was your break? Anything...interesting?" Gabriella rolled her eyes and didn't answer. Reyna continued. "In my opinion, I think he should have worked harder kidnapping you. Then maybe you wouldn't be—"

"Look, we'd love to stay and chat, Reyna, but Gabriella and I have to go to class," Troy interrupted. Reyna looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure Whatever." Gabriella sent her a fake smile before he and Troy trotted off. She threw him a small appreciative smile. "Thanks. Didn't really feel like putting up with her crap," she said quietly.

Troy nodded and on impulse control, he leaned down, about to capture her lips in a quick kiss. But Gabriela turned her head, his lips falling onto her cheeks instead. "Troy..." she said lightly. "Nothing's changed...not yet at least. I still need some space. Remember? Were friends."

Troy nodded. "For now," he said. "Friends. But I will still walk you to class and I will still drive you to school."

Gabriella had a smile toying at her lips. "Okay. But if you walk me to class you have to hold my books." Troy rolled his eyes but nevertheless he grasped Gabriella's notebook and book bag. They turned down a corner towards first period, but the path was blocked by a gathering of people. Troy and Gabriella shared a curious look before looking at the scene. Stephen was pushed against some lockers while Hunter was pushing him against it. Evelynn was besides them, yelling at Hunter to get off. But Hunter didn't listen. Instead he gave Stephen's jaw a nice, firm punch. "Who the_ fuck_ do you think you are?"

"Dude, get the fuck off of me!" Stephen yelled, his eyes enlarged. "It was just a harmless joke! It's not like you two date or anything." Hunter's face flashed red. He gave another hard punch to Stephen's face and this time Stephen's head jerked to the side, a crack sounding off from his body. "Hunter, stop it! He didn't mean anything about it!" Evelynn said, trying to reason. Stephen reached up and gently touched his jaw. Pain fluttered at the sore spot and he ground. "Dude," he rasped, blood leaking from his mouth. "I think you broke something."

"That's not the only thing I'm going to break," Hunter sneered. He lifted his fist and pulled back, ready to strike again. Troy sliced through teh crowd and grasped Hunter's fist, pulling him back. Hunter stumbled and gave Troy a ghostly look. "What, Bolton?" he spat.

"I should be asking you that," Troy said. "Dude, what is your problem?"

"That fucking prick is my problem. Now let me go."

Troy ignored him. He turned to Stephen. "What'd you do?'

"I just said some stuff about the new girl," Stephen insisted. "He acts like he owns her."

"No, I just know to respect girls," Hunter said, glaring at Stephen.

Stephen rolled his eyes. "Sure. Then I guess Gabriella isn't a girl?"

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "She's different." Troy let go of Hunter. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Hunter. "What do you mean she's _different_?"

"She's...I had to do it. It's complicated."

"You _had_ to do it?"

"Troy, it's fine, come on," Gabriella urged after she squeezed her way past the crowd. She grasped his arm and attempted to pull him away, but Troy stayed stationary glaring at Hunter. "Troy," Gabriella said, her voice firm.

"Shouldn't you be suspended, Bolton?" Stephen asked.

"Matsui suspended me from the prom, but that's it."

"What is going on here?" Gabriella's eyes went wide. She grabbed Troy's arms and yanked him back into the crowd forcefully as Mr. Matsui cut into the circle. "Sir, everything is fine," Evelynn said. Mr. Matsui shushed her and turned to Stephen, eyeing his bruise. "Stephen, the nurse and then my office. Hunter, you as well." Hunter narrowed his eyes at Stephen before stalking off with Matsui. Stephen rolled his eyes and started his walk down the hall. The crowd began to break and everyone eventually let the fight go and talked about other stuff.

"I don't like the new kid," Troy snarled.

Gabriella smiled and rubbed his arm soothingly. "Technically, he's kind of not a new kid anymore."

* * *

><p>"I don't know..." Maxine looked at herself in the mirror wearily. She wore a purple sheath dress that flowed gracefully on her long, slim shape. The back was cut out and the neckline plunged low. The dress was fairly short, showing off her long, tanned legs. Gabriella had curled her hair and swished it to the side, letting it hang over her shoulder. She had also applied a bit of make-up. She went with smokey eye-shadow and peach lip gloss. She had to admit she looked stunning, but was Hollywood flashy really her?<p>

"Shut up," Selena demanded. "You look beautiful. Even more beautiful than me and that's saying something." Selena went for a different kind of style. She had gone simpler. Just a short hot-pink dress with a big black bow tied to the side. She left her hair alone into it's curly waves and decided on a few choices of make-up. "Now, are we ready?"

"Leilani isn't ready yet."

And just as she said that, Leilani emerged from the bathroom. She had kept her dress a secret, strictly telling everyone that her dress reveal would be a surprise.

And it was.

She wore a long, satin blue dress that flared out at her waist. Tole was set up underneath it with gave it more volume. Swirls of glitter danced around the soft fabric in a dainty pattern and design. Her hair was one again straightened and this time it was twisted back into a tight ponytail. She had swiped at her eyelids carefully with smokey eye shadow and simply applied a bit of lipstick. To finish off the look, she had bangles and necklaces clinging to her and she wore stunning baby blue Louis Vuitton pumps. She looked beautiful.

"You look pretty, Lei," Reva commented, grinning at her friend.

Leilani smiled. "Thanks. But do you like the dress? I seriously got this thing a while ago. My mom brought it for me off line."

"It's amazing," Maxine breathed. She reached over to touch the fabric. "Seriously. Sketcher better keep his comments to himself."

"You're going with Sketcher?" Sharpay asked. "Sophomores are allowed into junior prom?"

"They have to be accompanied by a junior to enter," Leilani classified. "But, you know, it was either him or nothing."

"Well, that sucks," Maxine said with a pout. "Now it's just me and Sel that have no dates. And you know how Sel is..."

Selena crossed her arms, pretending to be offended. "What do you mean 'and you know how Sel is'?"

"I mean you are boring as crap," Leilani teased. Selena rolled her eyes. The girls settled into a small talk and no one really noticed how quiet one of them was. Gabriella sat on the sidelines, faintly smiling. Truthfully, she was bummed. She wanted to go to prom badly—there was no denying that. But even if her and Troy are just friends at the moment, it didn't feel quite right going without him even though she did already buy her prom dress. Gabriella sighed softly and brought a leg up to her chest. She rested her cheek on her knee and stared forward at a picture of her and Troy that had been taken when they were at the beach. She smiled faintly.

"Gabriella?" Taylor looked at Gabriella, just noticing how far away she looked. When Gabriella didn't answer, Taylor patted her shoulder. "Gabriella?"

"Huh? What?" Gabriella looked at them, a sheepish grin on her face. "Oh, sorry. Just spaced out there."

"Nothing is holding you back from going to prom, Gab," Maxine reminded her. "Troy can hang with Emil and Reva."

"Um, excuse me?" Reva said, grinning. "But Reva and Emil have plans. Like, private plans. We're going to the movie theater and pretend to watch the movie."

Maxine rolled her eyes and looked back at Gabriella. "No one is making you stay."

"No, I want to stay," Gabriella said firmly. "Being with Troy beats out everything."

Sharpay's eyebrows rose. "Thought he was just your friend."

"Yeah, but, you know, I love him. And he's not _just_ my friend. He's my best friend—for now."

Selena smirked. "Uh huh. Of course there's a_ for now_."

"You gals ready to leave?" Leilani asked. She stood and grabbed her purse. Selena, Maxine, Sharpay and Taylor nodded. Taylor was going to prom with Chad. She and him weren't on a relationship level again, but they were driving towards there. She was wearing a simple, sophisticated black dress that stopped a bit above her knees. Sharpay was going with Zeke. Unlike Taylor, it was anything but simple. It cost one grand and was a pink sequin dress. Silver lining danced across the bottom of it and she wore expensive pink pumps by none other than Louis Vuitton.

"So nervous," Selena murmured. But she still hooked her arm through Maxine's and Leilani's as they departed from the house. Reva sighed. "They should have a freshman prom. I really want to go to prom."

Gabriella smiled at her. "Prom is fun, but you need friends and people you love to be there in order to enjoy it. And Emil is just a room down." Reva flashed Gabriella a grateful smile before dashing out of the room and towards Emil's room. Gabriela giggled and stood up. She exited the room and walked down stairs. Like she anticipated, Troy was sprawled on the couch munching on Doritos and watching One Tree Hill. Gabriella's brows formed a perfect arch. "Wow, I didn't take you for much of the drama type," came Gabriella's teasing voice. Troy's eyes went wide and he quickly shut off the TV. He jolted into a sitting position and looked at Gabriella who had a smile toying at her lips. "Be quiet," Troy mumbled. Gabriella giggled and gestured to the seat beside him. "Is that seat taken?"

Troy's eyebrows rose as he looked at the seat. "Not unless Rosie or our siblings are planning to join us."

Gabriella smiled. "Good." She came and sat down next to him. "Now, because I so generously given up prom for you, you must do the honors and make some popcorn," Gabriella instructed, grinning at him. But Troy didn't smile back. He sighed. "You didn't have to miss out on prom, Brie. I would have been fine if you left."

Gabriella shook her head. "But I wouldn't be fine. I'd like my prom experience to be with you...even if as just friends." Gabriella ducked her head sheepishly when she saw the hurt flash in his eyes. She didn't want to hurt him and she knew he didn't want to hurt her, but he had to understand that she wanted to take a small break in their relationship. Not a break-_up_. A _break_. A small one, just for a bit.

Wordlessly Troy stood and walked into the kitchen. All the while, Gabriella willed herself to move. She picked out three DVD's. Grown Ups, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Salt—all favorites of Troy. He liked comedy, action and anything with Angelina Jolie. When Troy returned, he had a steaming, buttery bowl of popcorn. "What movie are we watching?" he asked casually. He plopped down on the couch and then grasped Gabriella's legs and lifted them so they were resting on his lap. Gabriella smiled. "Grown Ups—if you want to watch it, that is." Troy nodded his confirmation and Gabriella pressed play. Although tension was obvious, they'd get through this. She wouldn't let a slip up get in the way of them. She connected with Troy and she wanted it to stay like that.

* * *

><p>"Guys, I'm going to Julie's," Rosie announced. She trotted down the stairs and smiled when she saw Troy and Gabriella snuggled on the couch. She knew about the break in their relationship and she was glad that they were smiling at each other than glaring. "I'll be back at twelve, okay?"<p>

"Okay," Gabriella said. "Bye."

And the house was theirs.

Reva and Emil had left a half hour ago to watch the 'movie' and of course, Rosie had just left.

It felt weird knowing that you had a big house all by yourself. It would be a lot easier to speculate on what to do if they were still together. "Troy?" Gabriella said quietly. Troy looked at her. "Hm?" Gabriella reached over and picked up a popcorn kernel. She flicked it his way and it bounced off his nose. Gabriella giggled. "Sorry, the butter made it slip from my fingers."

Troy smirked. He grabbed a handful of popcorn and catapulted them at Gabriella. She squealed. "Troy!"

"Oops," he said cheekily. "the butter made them slip."

"Oh, it is so on now," Gabriella told him. She got up and lunged at him, scooping up a handful of popcorn as she did. She pushed the kernels into Troy's face and Troy laughed. He grasped her wrist and pinned her to the couch and to make sure she wouldn't get away, he sat gently on her thighs. Gabriella withered beneath him, but he never gave way. "Troy! Get your fat ass of of me!"

"I am not fat," Troy scoffed. "And you need to be punished. Calling me fat and pushing popcorn in my face? I am shocked, Montez." Gabriella rolled her eyes. She grabbed another kernel and flicked it at him. She giggled as it plucked him in the nose. "Oh, you are so going to get it now." Troy leaned down and tickled her sides, making Gabriella squirm and squeal under him.

"Troy!" she shrieked.

"Say you're sorry and that you think Troy Bolton is the most superior, the most handsome, and the most amazing guy ever." Troy moved to her abdomen and Gabriella literally jerked off of the couch. Laughs were tumbling out of her lips and tears were now starting to grow. "Okay, okay! J-just stop!" Troy grinned triumphantly. He grasped her wrist again and pinned them above her head. Gabriella looked up at him and smiled. "Troy Bolton is the most superior, the most handsome, and the most amazing guy ever." She paused. "And I couldn't ask for anyone better."

He smiled and let go of her hands. "Thank you. And by the way, you've expanded my ego."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Oh, great. It was already the size of Asia, Antarctica and Africa put together!" Troy smirked and reached down, his fingers wiggling suggestively. Gabriella quickly pushed his hands away. "I was kidding!" she insisted, but by how she started giggling, Troy knew she was lying. He slid off of her legs and Gabriella reclined them, placing them of the floor.

"You do know I am really sorry about that night, right?" Troy questioned softly. Gabriella took his hand and ran the pad of her thumb over his knuckles. She nodded and smiled. "Of course. But I'm sorry for reacting like I did, too. It's just...when you're famous like me—not to sound cocky or anything—you have to be careful. Because...if you're too careless, like I was, something like...that could happen," Gabriella struggled. She dropped her eyes and sighed. "But, if there's anyone to blame, it's me."

"Don't do that," Troy said. "Don't try and guilt yourself into this. I shouldn't have done it."

Gabriella looked up at him. "Well, I'm fine, so, can we just leave it at 'I'm sorry'?" Troy nodded. He reached over and gently traced the scar on her neck. Gabriella winced slightly. "You did get hurt," he argued. "Does it still hurt?"

"Only when I turn my head," Gabriella answered. Troy retracted his hand and Gabriella's face flooded with disappointment. She liked it when he touched her. Even just that small little swipe and his touch was sending fireworks exploding across her skin. Troy cleared his throat. "Are we even watching the movie?"

Gabriella looked at the screen and giggled. "I guess not. It's almost over."

* * *

><p>Selena sighed as she slowly stirred her fruit punch with her straw. "I am sooo bored. I wonder what Troyella is up to."<p>

Maxine smirked. "They're probably making out or whatever." Selena giggled and Maxine smiled. She turned around when someone tapped her shoulder and her eyebrows raised. It was Nate Hooley from her Biology class. He smiled warmly and gestured towards the dance floor. "Care to dance? I know it is a bit late into the dance, but..." He smiled cheekily. Selena smiled back and looked at Maxine, her eyes pleading. Maxine sighed and waved her hand. "Go, go. Have fun."

"Thanks!" Selena grabbed Nate's hand and pulled him out to the dance floor. They both instantly sunk into the rhythm of Kelly Clarkson's _A Moment Like This_. Maxine smiled softly and dropped her head on her hand. She watched as couples slowly swayed on the gym floor, hands entwined and heads bowed together. Someone cleared their throat and she glanced up. "Chad?"

"Hey, yeah," Chad said. "Um...so, why are you just sitting there? Alone?"

"Um, Selena kind of ditched me." She tilted her head to her and Nate and flashed Chad a smile. "Where's Taylor?"

"She found another date." Chad turned around. Taylor and some boy from chemistry were slowly dancing. Chad sighed and turned back around to Maxine. "I can't really say anything because we broke up...but, um, anyway, do you want to dance?" Chad gave her a hopeful smile. Maxine smiled and nodded eagerly. She rose from her spot and took his awaiting hand. They walked slowly onto the dance floor and Chad placed his hands on her hips. Maxine rested her hands on his chest, her head also resting there, but on his left breast. She could hear the sweet melody of his heartbeat and she smiled softly. They rocked back and forth slowly as the song ran along. All the other guys her friends set her up with were nice and friendly and almost right.

Almost.

But as she stood clad in Chad's arms, she knew that Chad was_ just_ right. He was perfect.

* * *

><p><em>Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me<em>  
><em>I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed<em>  
><em>She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb<em>  
><em>In the shape of an "L" on her forehead<em>

"I am trying to read, will you turn that off?" Gabriella asked nicely. She turned in her chair and rolled her eyes. Troy was jumping on her bed and shouting loudly the lyrics to Smash Mouth's _All Star_. He just grinned at her and continued jumping and singing loudly. Gabriella picked up her composition book and chucked it at him. It hit him in the balls and he fell, cupping his sore genitals. "Ow, Brie!" Gabriella laughed. She stood and walked to him. "You okay, Superstar? I promise, I wasn't aiming there."

"Mhm, sure," Troy said. He rolled his eyes, stood back on the bed and started singing and jumping again. Gabriella smiled up at him. "You are so crazy, Wildcat."

"Two nicknames in less than a minute?" Troy questioned. Gabriella shrugged. She walked over to her radio and clicked off the song. Troy was about to protest, but she held a finger up to her lips, indicating him to be quiet. Troy understood and he jumped off the bed landing next to her. He watched as Gabriella turned through every station until she landed on one. The sweet melancholy melody of Whitney Houston's _I Will Always Love You_ came in tune. She turned the volume down before turning to Troy, a smile playing at her lips. "Can you hold up a second?" Troy nodded and Gabriella whisked away. She came back only eight minutes later, but instead of the random pajamas she had on, she was dressed much differently...much, _much_ differently.

She wore a knee-high shimmering satin-blue dress with silver beading, cut on a diagonal that fell in a perfect drape across every cress of her curves. The front of her dress had a soft sweater-neck line and there was no back. She was basically bare almost to her waist, but there was a round edge with more sparkling beading dancing across it. The end on her dress swished sensually around her toned legs and she wore tall shiny black stilettos and to finish the look she wore different types of bangles and necklaces. Troy gaped at her. "Wow...Gabriella, you look beautiful."

"Thank you. Now, can I have this dance?" Troy grinned. He took her waist in his hands and held her close. "What happened to just best friends?"

"Best friends dance," Gabriella informed him. She reached her arms up and wrapped them loosely around his neck and she rested her head on his built chest. She closed her eyes at the blissful sound of his fast-beating heart. The music had changed a while ago. Celine Dion's _Because I Loved You_ was now playing.

The two swayed in the dim-lit room as the moon casted a luminescent glow to form in the room, the only sound in the house being the soft music that was playing. "Love you," Troy murmured tiredly. Gabriella opened her eyes and looked up at him. His eyes were closed and he was humming along with the song. Sighing, Gabriella rubbed at the small chest-nut hairs swooping down his neck. "I love you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>Aw, cute moment, I know. Okay, just so no one gets confused, they are still on their break. Just because they say 'I love you' doesn't mean they are off their break. Okay, I want to thank everyone who reviewed! I'm sorry I can't send a shout out to everyone one by one because of time limitations, but that doesn't mean I don't thank you. So, thanks! Again! (: What did you think? Can you please review? It'll make my day a whole lot better.<strong>

**Thanks!-Brittany **


	31. Wet SoilYou're So Mean

**Glamorous**

**Wet Soil...You're So Mean**

** Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.**

**A/N - Thanks for the reviews, guys! And I know I'm major late, but this story is starting to feel like baggage...but don't worry, I'd never give up on it! It's to 300 pages on Microsoft Word. That's a whole books length. Haha, I feel like an author. (: Really, I don't know how I'd end this story. Well, enjoy and tell me what you thought! **

"Yeah…You are my fire. The one desire! Believe when I say, I want it that way!" the girls bellowed loudly. "But we are two worlds apart. Can't reach to your heart. When you say—"

"That I want it that way!" Reva sang loudly. They all erupted into laughs and giggles. "Tell me why. Ain't nothin' but a heartache!

"Tell me why!"

'Ain't nothin' but a mistake!"

"Tell em why!"

"I never wanna hear you say. I want it that way!"

"Oh, would you shut it already?" Sammy said, covering his ears. The girls all collapsed against their seats, laughing loudly. Since Rosie wanted a day off from everyone, she decided that it would be okay for them to take the van and cruise around town a little. The girls thought it would be funny to yell songs that would come up on the radio. The boys thought it'd be annoying.

"You had a lot of crooks tryna steal your heart," the girls sang loudly, gaining groans from the boys. "Never really had luck, couldn't never figure out how to love. How to love!"

"We're here!" Troy says. "That means you can shut up."

Leilani stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just mad because you can't sing."

Troy scoffed but decided to say nothing. He pulled up next to the curb by the park and everyone climbed out. "We're going to play basketball," Troy said, speaking for himself, Sammy, Chad and Emil. The girls waved them off before trotting to a shady part of the park. They had a nice view of the boys. "I don't know why you gave up Troy," Maxine said softly, watching as he threw his shirt off of him. "I don't like him or anything, we've been best friends forever, but you guys are perfect. And I have to admit, he's hot."

Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear it all the time. You're cute, you should get back together, and he's hot. Is that the only reason why people are in relationships? Because of how they look? I want to get back with Troy; you don't know _how _much I do. But a part of me is reluctant. And it's all because we're stupid."

"You guys will get over it," Sharpay said. "Just give it time."

Sammy through his shirt off and grabbed the basketball. He bounced it against the pavement, bended his knees and jumped, letting the ball go. It tumbled through the air and dropped into the net. He grinned and looked at Troy. "See, that's how the Sam Master does his _thang_." Troy rolled his eyes. He bent to retrieve the ball, ran up to the court and then dunked the ball into the net. Sammy's eyes widened. "That's not fair! You're like twenty feet tall. I can't even touch the net."

Troy patted Sammy's head, laughing. "Don't worry, you'll grow taller. I didn't start to grow tall until I was fourteen. The girls were getting way far up there, but I grew."

"Fourteen? That's years from now!" Troy just laughed. They split up into two teams, Emil and Chad, Troy and Sammy. They were about to start their two-on-two match when a few boys came strolling up to them. A few boys from West High, that is. John and a few other guys. "Hey guys, look what we have here," John says, smirking.

Troy sighed. "If you want to start problems, I'd suggest you leave now."

"The championships are next week, Bolton," John reminded him. "I'm just saying this: watch your back."

Troy crosses his arms over his chest. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

John shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe both. But do know this; we're taking that trophy home with us." John flashes a cocky smirk before turning and walking off. Troy rolled his eyes. "They're a bunch of assholes."

Sammy nods and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yup. They _are_ a bunch of assholes."

"Don't mess with us, we're from down under! Wildcats do have that thunder!" the cheer squad cheered. It was now free period the next day and a boring old Monday. The basketball was hyped and practicing non-stop. Along with them was the dance and cheer squad. "I don't get why we have to be at the game anyway," Selena mumbled. "Cheer girls are supposed to attend, not dance girls."

"A lot of people are required to be there," Maxine says. "Football team, soccer team, dance team of course, and the volley ball team. We have to show our school pep in order to win."

"Look at those cheerleaders," Gabriella said. "They have enough pep for both teams and more. And God, if I see Reyna flash her underwear at another boy, I'll flip out. She's such a slut."

"Those skirts are too short," Taylor acknowledges. "They hardly make it past their butts."

"Yeah, well, better room to stick their mouths up in when they make a smart ass comment," Gabriella said. They laugh and coach calls for showers.

Reyna glares as the dance team makes their way to the showers. She heard their snide remarks and was sick and tired of them. She made her way after them, not caring at the calls she received from her fellow cheer mates. While the girls went to step into the showers, Reyna snagged their bags and quickly ran from the girls' locker room. She chuckled quietly to herself as she ran outside and dumped the clothes in the dirt. "Let's see how much dirt you'll be talking now,' Reyna said quietly to herself. She kicked their stuff around in the dirt. While doing it, she noticed something. Reyna bent down and picked up a necklace. It was a T necklace with a red ruby in the left corner. Eyebrow cocked, Reyna stuffed the pretty piece of jewelry into her pocket. She could remember vaguely Gabriella wearing it. Smirking proudly, Reyna turned and stalked back into the building.

"Where the hell are our clothes?" Reva yelled. Everyone's lockers were empty of their change of clothes. All that was left were their dirty clothes. Gabriella eyes widened as she stepped out of the showers. "Oh no! My necklace was in my pants pocket…Troy paid a lot of money for it!"

"Who came and took our stuff?" Taylor wondered aloud what everyone was thinking. Miss C walked into the room, frowning. "What's wrong, girls?"

"Someone took our clothes," a girl said. "Can you check the cameras?"

Miss C nodded. "Yeah, I'll check. Meanwhile, your uniforms arrived. You can all put those until I resolve this problem, okay? I'll bring the box in." Miss C disappeared and then reappeared with a box of uniforms. The uniforms were white tights and tight red shirts. Groaning, the girls went and got changed. "I think Reyna did it," Gabriella said once she was out of the locker room. Reyna was chilling on the bleachers, a smug grin tugging at her lips. Rev shook her head and crossed her arms. "Bitch."

Gabriella walked off towards Reyna's direction. Reyna looked up at her and grinned. She fingered the hard silver in her skirt pocket. "Oh, hey Gabriella. Nice outfit."

"Where are our clothes, Reyna? I had something special in my pants pocket."

Reyna shrugged. "I don't know, I'm sorry."

Gabriella's voice lowered. "Reyna, I'm not kidding. Where are my clothes?" Reyna shrugged again and leaned against the bleacher. She grinned. "I'm not kidding either. I don't know where your clothes are." Reyna sat up and eyed the drain bolted to the floor. She instantly grasped the T necklace in her hand as a sickly plan formed in her head. "Alright, fine, you got me. I took your clothes and dumped them on the dirt in front of the building."

Gabriella glared at Reyna before turning. Reyna grinned. "But, if you're looking for your necklace, I have it right here." Gabriella stopped and turned. Reyna had pulled the necklace out and was now hanging it over the drain. People were now turning heads, curious at what was happening. Gabriella started forward to grab it, but Reyna held up a hand. "I'll drop it."

"No, wait," Gabriella said. "Stop that cost a lot of money and means something to me."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, blah. Mushy, mushy, romance. Like I care. Why should I give it to you and be nice?" Gabriella narrowed her eyes at her and Reyna smirked. "Mhm, that's what I thought. Say bye." And she dropped it. Gabriella's eyes widened as the necklace slipped between the bars and fell into the drain's dark depth. "Oops." Reyna stood and started to walk away, but Gabriella grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She couldn't believe Reyna would just do that.

Everyone was now looking. Troy dropped his basketball as soon as the smack was heard and ran over to them. He pried Gabriella away from Reyna who was fighting back. "Gabriella, Gabriella, calm down!"

"She dropped my necklace in the drain!" Gabriella said angrily. When Troy didn't let her go, she kicked his shin. "Let go of me, Troy!" He did and backed away in pain. Gabriella glared at Reyna before running off. She started to cry when she was out of everyone's earshot and she didn't know why. That necklace meant a lot, it did, but she didn't know why she was crying.

Maybe it was because she was sick and tired of Reyna. Ever since Gabriella stepped into this school, she was tortured and taunted by Reyna, simply because she loved Troy. Gabriella sniffled and wiped at her moist eyes. Wanting a least a bit of her composure, she straightened her shoulders and started towards the theater. However, like she anticipated, it wasn't empty. A girl was on the stage, funky music bouncing off the walls and reaching her soul. She was dancing like Gabriella had never seen before…something like you'd only see in movie stars. Gabriella leaned against the door and watched with pure interest as the girl continued to dance her heart out. It was as if she was a part of the song.

When the girl spotted Gabriella, she let out a startled scream and stopped dancing. Gabriella's eyes went wide when she acknowledged that the girl had come here to get privacy, not perform. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Gabriella said apologetically. "I was coming in here for privacy and then I saw you…"

The girl sighed. She reached down and turned the music off. "Dance horribly?" the girl said bitterly. Gabriella was taken aback. No, she wasn't thinking that all. More like dance amazingly. "No," Gabriella said quickly. "You were amazing. Really amazing. How come you didn't try out for the team…?" Gabriella trailed off, not knowing the girl's name. She shrugged and looked down bashfully. "It's Martha Cox and…a lot of people say really negative things about me. It will only grow when they see a heavy girl break out into dance."

Gabriella felt sorry for her. She shouldn't be judged by how she looked. This girl was seriously amazing. "I thought you were perfect. And you shouldn't let people put you down…you should show people that you can dance."

Martha shook her head. "Maybe in movies you've been in it's easy like that, but this is real life, Gabriella. People don't care."

Martha started to leave the theater, but Gabriella was quick to stop her. "Just…wait. How about we dance? Just the two of us, there isn't anybody else." Gabriella looked at her pleadingly. Martha sighs and puts her stereo down. "Fine. But only for a bit."

Gabriella grinned. "Okay, good. What do you have?" Martha switched on _LMFAO_. "Good, this is easy. Come on." They fell into the song easily, moving to the rhythm and jumping to the beat. Soon they were going through five songs and then ten and then fifteen. It was when they collapsed against the floor, tired and hyped, laughing. Gabriella got up and then helped Martha. "That was really fun, Gabriella," Martha said. "Thanks."

Gabriella shrugged. "You're welcome. We can do it anytime." Martha grinned. She picked up her stereo and started to leave. "And, Martha, you really have talent, talent that shouldn't be wasted."

"Thanks, Gabriella. I'll keep that in mind." Then she left. Gabriella sighed and sat Indian style on the stage. She had five minutes until free period ended, but she didn't feel like moving. So instead she sat and thought. Lyrics started to form in her head and when her song was complete, she grinned, stood, and then left for class.

"Where were you for the rest of free period?" Maxine asked as they walked to their next class. Gabriella shrugged. "Just around. Hey, do you think Miss C would be able to add another person to…" Gabriella left her question hanging when she saw Martha, getting yelled and taunted by some girls, calling her fat and a geek. She had never known high school could be so cruel…and the girls weren't that skinny, either. They were a bit pudgy on the sides.

Martha looked ready to cry. Gabriella walked over to them, angry. "Hey, leave her alone!" The three girls were startled. They looked at Gabriella and were speechless. "Now you have nothing to say. Come on, Martha." Gabriella tugs on Martha (who is confused) and pulls her along. Maxine follows quietly after them, just as confused. When they're far away, Gabriella turns to Martha. "Are you okay?"

Martha shrugged meekly. "Yeah, I guess so."

Gabriella smiled softly. "You can tell someone, you know. No one should get teased and tortured."

"I'm used to it."

"This is my friend Maxine. Max, this is Martha. I was asking you earlier if Miss C will take any other kids. Martha is really good at dancing."

"Gabriella," Maxine sighed.

"We've met already," Martha said, crossing her arms. "And she's no different from those girls. Thanks Gabriella, but, really, I'm not your concern. You can go back to your jolly life because I was fine without you." Martha glared at Maxine then turned. Gabriella was absolutely flabbergasted. She looked at Maxine. "You made fin of her too, Max?"

"It was just…I…" Maxine looked down, ashamed. Gabriella narrowed her eyes at her. "Bringing other people down doesn't bring you up, you know. It just makes you look like a really big jerk." Gabriella walked off and tried to catch up with Martha, but she didn't see her. Instead she bumped into Evelynn. "Oh, Evelynn, hey!" Gabriella pushed the cheeriness into her voice. Evelynn smiled up at her. "Hey, Gabriella. We still haven't met up for this project…"

"Shit, I'm sorry, I forgot. Let's meet up after school, okay?"

Evelynn nodded. "Sure, that works for me. So I'll talk to you later?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. Bye, Evelynn." Evelynn smiled at Gabriella before walking off. Gabriella let out a breath and started towards class, but bulky arms stopped her. Gabriella turned around and was met by Troy's piercing blue eyes. "Troy…"

"What happened at free period?" he asked.

Gabriella sighed. "Reyna dropped my necklace in the drain, Troy. I cried, but not because I lost it, even though it means a lot, but because I'm tired of her. She dumped all of our clothes outside in wet soil…sometimes I want to hit her with a car."

Troy sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Can I second that?"

"Of course. But you'd have to take the blame."

Troy laughed and Gabriella smiled. They stayed like that until the halls were cleared and the bell rung, indicating that whoever was in the hall was now late. The pair jumped apart, laughing, before quickly heading for class.

* * *

><p>A new friendship is being stirred up, maybe? I don't know, probably! Thanks for reading, now, is it time for reviews? Thanks!<p>

Thanks!-Brittany


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